


What the Heart Wants

by kissinggfish



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Soulmates, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-09
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-07-14 00:06:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7144007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissinggfish/pseuds/kissinggfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A manufactured soul mate formula causes heartache for headstrong young teenagers trying to find their matched pair and navigate the dangers of high school. It is easy to explain why home-schooled and sheltered model Adrien has been able to see colors since he locked eyes with a young girl when he was six.  And it's hard to explain why Adrien can't stop thinking about how he would rather his soulmate be someone else. It is easy to explain why suddenly poor Marinette can see colors after meeting Chat Noir, and hundreds of other people at a press conference during one of her first transformations as Ladybug. And it's hard to explain why Marinette can see color, but doesn't know who her soulmate is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> dusting off an old soul mate au i love dearly

Hundreds of years ago, teams of scientists began to create a formula to calculate the exact point in time when someone meets their soul mate. It was an effort to accomplish the impossible and eliminate the dating scene. Once perfected, the teams of scientists asked people to volunteer their lives and get the chip implanted.

 

The idea was popular, especially in younger people. The chip skyrocketed in popularity practically overnight. Everyone wanted to know who they were meant to be with. Everyone felt like they _needed_ to know who their soul mate was statistically. Ideally, people would be given the choice to implant themselves. Young parents, who grew up knowing who they would marry, decided to implant their children out of the womb.

 

There was an uprising of traditionalists who claimed the chips did more harm than good. They refused the treatment for themselves and protests broke out in front of hospitals and clinics. Younger generations agreed, until they really tried the old way of dating. Things were messy and complicated and the chips were always superior in their eyes.

 

As it almost always does, youth wins out, backed by testimonies from around the globe. The chip enhancements were a phenomenal technological advance. The protesters grew fewer in number as the years wore on, most giving up their fight against change. Not too much after the tide shifted in favor of the chips, people started to ask how they worked. Like all technology, it was a complex process the general public didn`t quite understand.

 

The release of their research and study highlights how incredibly complex the new system is. To begin, there are three microchips to make: an optic nerve blocking chip; the central chip holding the algorithm inside a person’s head; and the “battery chip”. The chip behind the optic chiasma blocks the brain from receiving color signals from the retinas. The central chip, installed inside the limbic system of the brain, is the largest chip. The limbic system is responsible for feelings, like love and affection. The most important chip is at the base of the skull. The “battery chip” there runs the show. The soul mate formula is so large and complex that it needs another chip just to work properly without overloading a person`s senses and making them blind. Everything is wired by scientific experts and there is almost never a glitch. All three chips are installed inside the subject at the time of their birth, quickly whisked away to an operating room nearby. Newborns ensure the best recovery period and the skull is still malleable enough to operate on easily. Scientists proclaim the older a test subject is, the harder it is for the chips to take. Once a subject starts forming memories, specifically those of colors, interfere with the chips and cause malfunctions.

 

The idea for the soul mate formula was first thought up by a male scientist who was tired of going out on countless dates. He poured his entire life into the formula and it destroyed his marriage and all personal relationships he had.  Ideas sprung up to have it be a timer, maybe a chip in the wrist that heats up when the subjects are near their soul mate, a glowing chip, a mark on the skin where they first touch, their first words to each other, or even their name. They tested each idea, all with limited success. The color scheme was the best performer, next to the glowing chip. The glowing chip was rejected because too many of the test subjects accidentally broke the glowing portion of their chip and needed emergency surgery to prevent them from radiation poisoning.

 

Shortly before Dr. Sam Bowling’s death, he decidedly perfected the formula and, as it turns out, his soul mate was his ex-wife, who left him because he devoted too much time to the formula. After he passed away, his trusted group of scientists took over and actually perfected the formula. They then proceeded to cram it inside the three microchips. Then they coded it so there was a definite shift so the general public knew when they found their soul mate.

 

 Generations upon generations of chip-users later, a young culinary student nervously enters a classroom full of people. He is late to his first day of class on his first day of living his dream. He sheepishly waves to the professor in the front of the classroom, who is directing him to sit at the empty seat in the corner. The young man graciously smiles and sets his textbook down on the table. He looks at the young woman next to him and smiles quickly.

 

A young exchange student sits in the corner, oblivious to the disruption behind her. When the young man sits down, she glances over. As explained minutes earlier, the person sitting next to you is your cooking partner for the rest of the semester. She extends a hand and smiles warmly. “Hi, I’m Sabine Cheng.”

 

“I’m Tom Dupain.” He smiles back, taking in the beautiful colors that suddenly filled his vision. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

Sabine blushed and stole a glance at his bright green eyes. She decided right then that green was her favorite color. “It’s nice to meet you too.”


	2. More than it seems (prologue pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wide-eyed young children learn something about the world they live in

At a young age, Marinette Dupain-Cheng knew what colors were and how the chip system works. Her parents explained it and told her that whoever she met when she started to see colors was her soul mate. They told her whoever he soul mate was, that they would accept and love them unconditionally. The last part confused six year old Marinette, but she was a child, so she brushed it off and ran off to play with her friends.

 

Her parents has also told her about the different colors and things that were normally that color. Grass was green. Her eyes were blue. The sun is orange, most of the time. Fire was red. Trees had brown bark. The stray dog she fed at night was yellow. Her bed sheets were pink. Her teddy bear was brown and his bow was red.

 

Entering school was easy for Marinette, she was a bright child. She was the model student, a fast learner, an eager participant, and on birthdays, class parties or just because, Marinette brought in a box sweets from her father's small bakery.

 

Her father had started his bakery business a few years before she was born and jokingly called it his favorite kid when Marinette was upset or throwing a tantrum. “I'm so glad my favorite child doesn't throw fits over broccoli,” Tom Dupain would look fondly over at the door that separated their living space from the bakery. That always made her stop crying or screaming.

 

Her first primary school teacher believed the chip enhancements were the best thing to happen to society. And even though, she explained that, she was still waiting for “The One” doesn’t mean she couldn't try to teach some colors. But everything looked like a different shade of grey to the doe-eyed children and their teacher. After one color lesson, she gave up and taught everyone numbers and then gave all her students a coloring book and a box of crayons.

 

Marinette’s favorite colors from kindergarten to second grade were the crayons labeled “jazzberry jam”, “fuzzy wuzzy”, and “razzmatazz” because of their silly names. Her parents called them “red-purple”, “brown” and “magenta” when she asked.

 

It was very rare to meet your soul mate before middle school. It was rare to meet your soul mate in middle school. Statistically, people meet their soul mate between the ages of 15 and 30. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't meet the love of your life at seven years old.

Her class was doing a school play for Christmas. Traditionally, the students dressed up in old-timey clothes and reenacted the birth of Jesus Christ. Her school was no different. Students were cast into roles, like most elementary school plays, by the teacher and acting ability had no part in the decision. Marinette was cast to play Mary at first, but of course Chloe had to have the spotlight.

 

“I have to play Mary! She’s the most important one!” Chloe pouted and cried. No one bothered to tell her it was the story of Jesus, not Mary. Her teacher just rolled her eyes and agreed to change their roles.

 

Marinette was one of the three shepherds instead.

 

In the weeks that led up to their performance, the school advertised heavily and invited important people who had children around Marinette’s age. They used Chloe to their advantage, asking her and her father to invite their famous friends and colleagues. Marinette learned later the school was trying to raise money to stay open.  She was just excited that people were excited about her class performing a play!

 

The night of the play, Marinette’s mother fussed over her hair not staying in place, no matter how much hair spray she applied. “It needs to stay, I can make it stay,” she kept mumbling, smoothing everything down and spraying the little can once more.

 

“Mama, it’s time to go.” Marinette pointed to the clock. She hopped off the stool she was sat upon and ran out her front door, where her father was waiting for them next to the family car.

 

“Are we all ready?” Her father looked back to an excited young Marinette, dressed in what was best described as a burlap sack and a belt. He always told her how much he loved her bluebell eyes. Marinette hadn't the slightest idea what he meant.

 

“Yep!” Marinette piped back, a couple hairs sprung back to their wavy and unruly place as she bounced up and down in her seat. She pressed her nose to the window the whole ride to the gymnasium.

 

At the play, Gabriel Agreste made true to his word and made an appearance with his young son, Adrien. Andre Bourgeois made the formal request through Natalie asking for his company to support a local elementary school in their plight. Gabriel agreed, they had a wonderful year and Adrien could use a friend. Now that he was getting older, Adrien was more independent and insufferable. Gabriel knew he couldn't keep throwing new toys at him and closing the door whenever his son asked to play.

 

Adrien, who had never been outside his lavish home for more than a photo shoot, was in awe. He could not stop looking in every possible direction. His six year old mind was filling with wonder and amazement at all the stuff other people did just for the sake of Christmas. At his house, they had the biggest tree and it went undecorated, unloved and ignored. Here, their tree was small and plastic, definitely pulled out of someone's attic and dusted off. It was weighed down by all the handmade ornaments students had made. The star on the top was papier mache painted bright metallic yellow. Lights strung around in big loops, fitting a thousand bulbs on one tree. It was beautiful.

 

Gabriel shushed Adrien when he asked what they were doing. “Go run off and find some friends.”

 

Adrien, always obedient, ran off to where all the other kids his age were. He did not know any of them, but his curiosity brought him closer to the strange kids dressed for the play.

 

“Hi!” Adrien tried to wave at a young boy with a lazy mop of brown hair. The boy ignored him. Not discouraged, Adrien smiled and tried to introduce himself to the next several people to cross his path. The red haired girl smiled back, but didn't talk. A boy with dark skin said hi and introduced himself as Nino. Someone else sneered and told him to go away, telling him that he was in the way of the class focusing properly.  Adrien finally gave up, waving a goodbye to Nino.

 

He stayed backstage, watching the students rush around with last minute things. Nino was playing a sheep and he kept making braying noises, causing giggles to swell up and hush immediately with a look from their teacher. They were lined up now, about to all go on the stage and start. Their teacher counted heads, naming her students as they climbed stairs up to the stage.

 

Adrien watched the progression of students, looking at each of their nervous faces. The girls looked more nervous than the boys, he couldn't help noticing. Except, one of the last girls in line, she exuded confidence. She was almost familiar to him, like he had seen a picture of her before. She had light hair, fair skin and a smile that belonged on a magazine. The girl was talking to the one behind him, but Adrien was too far away to hear a word.

 

Marinette was terrified now that she stood seconds away from standing in front of a huge crowd. Her palms were sweaty and the itchy burlap did not absorb the moisture. Chloe stood confidently in front of her, boasting about how she could do this all day. “You were never made to be Mary. You'll choke on your words and everyone will laugh.” Chloe looked at the boy across the stage sitting on a stack of gym mats and gave a huge smile. His father was important, she knew.

 

Something was wrong. As Adrien watched the two girls interact, he felt dizzy. The girl with lighter hair looked at him and smiled, waving a bit. He waved back and quickly ran off to find his father.

 

“Papa?” Adrien stayed nervously, tugging on the sleeve of his father's suit. “Something is wrong.”

 

“For the love of…” His father scowled and looked down at his son. “Not now.  I'm trying to talk to my friend. Go bother Natalie with your problem.” Gabriel brushed his sleeve, looked back at Andre and continued his conversation.

 

Adrien crossed his arms and ran out of the gym. Eventually, he found the bathroom and he sat in the corner stall, crying. His head hurt and his father was ignoring him. This was nothing new, not really. As Adrien grew older, he started to see things his father did. Of course his father didn't want him. Adrien could read that on his face every time he knocked on the office door. He stayed in the safety of the bathroom stall until his watch read eight o’clock and his stomach was growling. The school was serving food after the play was over, if Adrien recalled correctly.

 

His head still hurt and his vision still felt funny and not right, but hunger won out. Adrien ventured quietly back to the gymnasium and squeezed between two older parents. His father was with the same man, in the same seats, probably talking about the same thing. Natalie was a few chairs away, tapping away and eating a piece of cake. Stumbling over a few cords and walking into other people, Adrien eventually found his way to Natalie.

 

“Natalie!” Adrien exclaimed, tugging on her sleeve.

 

“Yes, Mister Adrien?” She looked down at him, not with annoyance like his father, but with patience.

 

“Something’s wrong.” His eyes felt like they were on fire and he was probably crying. “I don’t know what’s wrong.”

 

“Let me see,” She poked at his arms, his side and his legs. “No broken bones,” She tapped on his head. “Not a broken head either.” Moving aside her tablet, Natalie crouched to be on his level. “Tell me what happened to make you think something is wrong.”

 

He wiped his eyes and nodded. “I was near the stage with the other kids, dad told me to go make some friends. I met a few of them and then a teacher told me to go away. So I went and watched them line up and then one of them looked at me and waved, and then everything hurt. I tried to tell dad, but he told me to go away. Everything was too bright, so I went to the bathroom for a while and then I found you.”

 

Natalie nodded through his story. “Adrien, what did the girl look like? Do you know her?” Gabriel never did bother with Adrien, so this was no surprise to her.

 

“Her!” Adrien looked out in the crowd and pointed at the same girl. “Why? Is she in trouble?” Adrien was suddenly worried that he got the girl in trouble. It wasn’t her fault!

 

“Stay here, Adrien.” Natalie stood up and walked through the crowd with ease. Adrien watched from Natalie’s seat as she crouched next to the young girl, talk for a brief moment and then lead her back to the seating area.

 

“Sir,” Natalie interrupted Gabriel and Andre’s conversation. “It would appear that you are linked as more than just business partners. Adrien just told me he started seeing colors. Andre, it would appear your daughter is the culprit.”

 

Both men looked on, startled. When Natalie had finished, Andre was the one to speak first. “Wonderful!”

 

Gabriel nodded alongside Andre. “Go tell Adrien what that means.” He waved Natalie away and turned back to Andre. “So, this is a wonderful opportunity to grow my business…”

 

Natalie walked back to Adrien with Chloe in tow. “Adrien, this is Chloe Bourgeois. Chloe, this is Adrien Agreste. Your fathers are great friends, and you are linked together in ways you don’t understand yet.”

 

Adrien tried to follow Natalie’s explanation, but it all went in one ear and out the other. The young boy grasped the concept of colors, and then could not stop looking around at all the brightness that was not there a few hours ago. A few words here and there he understood, and everything else was lost in the blur of colors.

 

By the time the evening came to a close, Adrien was searching through his father’s phone for a guide to colors. He absorbed all the new words like a sponge. When he arrived home, Adrien spent the rest of his time deciding what color matched his belongings the best. He even decided on a favorite color: green. His eyes were green, and so were the eyes of his mother’s portrait.

 

The next morning, Marinette was sitting in her school chair, calmly coloring on a piece of paper. Everyone had nice things to say about the play last night, her teacher said. The fundraiser went wonderfully.

 

“Guess what!” Chloe exclaimed, bursting through the door. All the attention went to her, students and teacher alike. “I met my soul mate last night!” She beamed brightly and sauntered to her seat. “He doesn’t go to school here though! My daddy and his daddy are bestest friends!”

 

All the kids oohed and awed over her. Throughout the rest of the week, students lined up to ask her the color of something. Marinette stayed away, knowing Chloe would say something snide and rude to her. That's just how Chloe was, she expected people to obey her every whim and hang on her words. Her colorful attention stayed strong throughout the year, seeing as no other kid in their grade had started to see color. She would constantly include colors in her conversions. “Wow! The sky looks especially blue today!” or “Your yellow pencil could use sharpening.”

 

In grade three, Marinette was in a different class with new faces to meet and friends to make. Chloe did not make many appearances that year in Marinette’s life, much to her pleasure. Of course, she heard plenty about the girl throughout town and whenever Marinette and her parents attended any city activity or charity drive, Chloe was there. Outside of school, she acted more like a child and less like a terror. She was always tailing a little light haired boy, who Marinette overheard her call her soul mate. She quickly learned to ignore them both.

 

In the first few months, Marinette became friends with everyone and was invited over to play all the time. All the students were friendly and spoke to everyone. No one felt left out or in the shadows of a student who performed better than another. It was a stark contrast to a Chloe-ridden classroom where attention was either on the teacher or on Chloe. In her opinion, it often felt like the latter more often than the former.

 

It was there she encountered the second time a classmate saw colors and the first time it made no sense to anyone but her teachers.

 

Her best friend was Juleka, a slightly eccentric girl that moved to Paris for her father's work last year. She wore mostly light, vibrant clothes that made her jet black hair jump out. Her thought on the matter was if she couldn't see colors, she would surround herself in whatever shade is lightest because they were happy colors. Marinette always laughed when she said her shoes were golden or that her shirt was periwinkle because she hadn't the slightest idea what that meant, and neither did Juleka. They weren't in the same class anymore, but they saw each other every day at recess and on the walk home.

 

Towards the end of the school year, a new girl came to Marinette’s class. She introduced herself as Rose and sat next to Marinette. The new girl had a great smile and a kind heart. She wrote bright clothes, like Juleka. Rose liked to talk about animals and their different habitats. Her favorite animal was frogs. They obviously made fast friends.

 

Juleka was waiting for Marinette in the same spot as always, underneath the jungle gym. Marinette took Rose by the hand and led her towards Juleka. “You'll be great friends! Don't be shy! Juleka! Come meet Rose!” Marinette waved and ushered her vibrant friend out with a smile.

 

Juleka screamed. Rose kept her smile on, unsure how to react. The teachers watching over the kids outside ran over.

 

“Is everything okay?” Juleka’s teacher crouched next to the children.

 

Rose was frozen where she stood, watching Juleka bounce up and down excitedly. Marinette didn't know what to do, so she kept her distance.

 

“Colors! I see them!” Juleka laughs happily, loud enough to interrupt the classrooms with their doors shut.

 

Rose nodded in agreement, mouth agape. Both young children smiled and shouted and Marinette felt left out by her two friends. It was nothing they meant to do, of course, but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that all of her friends would be able to see color before her.

 

Juleka and Rose were attached at the hip from that point on. Rose called her parents that day to tell them the great news. Juleka thought about doing the same thing, but her parents were working and decided to tell them when they were off.

 

The rest of the day was a blur for Marinette. She remembers feeling lonely, watching in monochromatic vision all the events. Juleka pointed out colors and told Marinette their name. It almost reminded her of Chloe the year before. Juleka was much nicer though. She remembers walking home and telling her parents what had happened. They expressed their joy, and planned to bake cookies for both classes.

 

The following day, Juleka didn’t show up for recess. She wasn’t at lunch either. Marinette walked by her house and her parents told her she was out with her cousins. Her best friend dropped out of school with only three weeks left. Rose was worried, her parents were talking about what to do if “they didn’t take to it” with no mention of what “it” was, or why they needed to take it.

 

Juleka returned in the fall, her hair pulled in front of her face and dressed in dark colors. She refused to talk to anyone about her summer, or anything for that matter. When Marinette asked her parents what happened to her friend, her father got quiet and left the room. Her mother explained how not everyone likes the chips and hate the idea of their child’s perfect match to be of the same gender. Homophobia is what they called it.

 

It was the first time that Marinette realized the chip might be a bad thing and it was the first time Marinette was afraid of who she would see when she saw the world in Technicolor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading<3  
> hmu @kissinggfish on tumblr as always


	3. Stoneheart - Marinette (pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a teenager, something you should worry about is school, not super-secret super-powers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is more or less me making the origin episode, giving a few headcanons and other fun bits here and there

The next four years go by without much incident. Alix, the new girl from America, met her soulmate in Kim, the loud jock who raced anyone. They had been challenging each other to more and more ridiculous things each week. They were like a match made in heaven. More of her classmates met their soul mate, but Marinette did not know them either of them well enough.

 

It was nearing her last year of middle school, Marinette had started to run late at night and enjoy the night life of Paris. She would come in around eleven at night and take a shower then crash in her bed. Before she knew it, her alarm was going off on the first day of school. She let it ring for fifteen minutes before she finally turned over and swiped left to turn it off.

“Marinette!” Her mother opened the hatch to her room. “Get up, you’ll be late on your first day!”

 

“I got it, Mom.” She waved her off and stretched her legs. They were significantly less sore than she was used to. “I’m coming.”

 

She walked down the stairs and gave her mom a hug and kiss. Breakfast was waiting for her when she sat down at the table, a nice warm croissant and a bowl of fruit. “I’ll bet you anything Chloe is in my class again this year.” She grimaced as she tore the corner off the croissant.

 

“Four years in a row? Is that possible?” Her mom laughed, stirring the pot of glaze with one hand.

 

“Definitely.” Marinette sighed and picked up her fork. “Lucky me.”

 

“Don’t say that. It’s the start of a new year. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

 

Marinette turned and gave her mom a small smile. It was her mother’s super power, always knew what to say to make her daughter feel better. Marinette set her bowl aside and knocked over an orange, which rolled across the counter and knocked over the box of cereal, creating a chain effect that left Marinette in the middle of a mess. Picking up the cereal, she sighed. Her mother held a towel, sweeping the flakes into her palm.

 

“It’s okay, leave this to me.” Her mother smiled. “Go find your father, he has something for you.”

 

Nodding, Marinette went through the door to the front of the bakery. “Papa?”

 

“Tada!” He brandished a box of twenty-two perfectly matching cassis macaroons.

 

“Dad, these are so amazing!” Marinette smiled. The box’s lid had the logo she designed for them last month. “My classmates will love them.”

 

“I’m glad you think so.” He pats her head. “It’s all thanks to you.”

 

Setting the box down on the counter, Marinette turns and hugs her father tightly. “Je t’aime.” She kisses his cheek and grabs the box from the counter. Her mother comes in and hands her the school bag for left inside. “Thank you mama,” Marinette gave her a hug and kiss as well. “I’ll see you tonight.” She ran out of the front door and turned left down the street towards Collège Françoise Dupont.

 

It was a short walk through a few busy streets to reach school. Marinette waited impatiently for the crosswalk sign to change colors, tapping her foot against the concrete. When the light turned green, Marinette quickly crossed and turned another corner. The school was within her view, just one more crosswalk to go through and she was there. She looked left and right before going without the light’s approval. A bright red car came speeding through the second Marinette’s foot touched the asphalt. She gasped and stayed on her side.

 

An old man was crossing the street, unaware of the oncoming car. None of the other pedestrians paid attention to him and there was a car coming down the road, no sign of slowing down. Panic set in and she rushed out, grabbing his hand and pulling him to safety, just in time for the white car to come barreling through. The box of macaroons fell out of her hand and over half of them tumbled to the concrete. The light turned green and the other pedestrians crossed the street as if nothing just happened.

 

“Thank you, miss.” The old man said behind her. “Oh, what a disaster,” He looked down at the pastries on the ground. Several had been crushed under the foot of a passerby.

 

“No worries. I’m no stranger to disaster.” Marinette picks the box up and arranges the remaining macaroons. She offered the box to the gentleman. “Besides, there are still some left.”

 

The man took a bite of one. “Delicious!”

 

“Thanks,” Marinette closed the box. A bell went off across the street, sending her into another panic. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!” Not forgetting her manners, Marinette turned to the Chinese man and bowed. “Have a great day!” She took off across the street and flung up the stairs two at a time.

 

She entered the classroom just in time for the second bell to ring. Miss Bustier was assigning seats, and paid no mind to the girl bursting in. She quickly took the same seat in the second row she had last year. Looking around, she saw mostly familiar faces. Nino was in the back, like he always is. Kim and Max were flipping through a new gamer magazine together, mumbling about games they wanted to play. She gave a quick smile to Nathaniel, sitting in the far corner, drawing. Last year, Nathaniel always asked to be her partner for something and spent all their time to work drawing her. Marinette found it sweet, Mylene, her colorful friend, found it weird.

 

She knew that many of her classmates haven’t met their soul mates yet, so she was not out of place. Juleka was still quiet, seating herself in the back of the room, like always. Rose joined her most days. There is an unspoken understanding to not ask either of them about it. Rose told Marinette, in secrecy one year, that Juleka’s parents had sent her away to a camp to try to reverse the chip’s mechanism and make her see black and white again. She spent the entire summer there. It didn’t work. Juleka’s parents refuse to speak to her now.

 

“Nino, why don’t you take a seat in the front of the room this year?” He rolls his eyes and complies.

 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” An all too familiar voice grated against her ears. A hand smacked on the table in front of Marinette. Here we go again, Marinette sighed and looked up at Chloe Bourgeois. “That’s my seat.”

 

“But, Chloe, this has always been my seat.”

 

“Not anymore.” Another grating voice popped up behind her. “New year, new school, new seats.” Sabrina sneered.

 

“So, who don’t you sit next to that new girl over there?” Chloe pointed to the girl with a wild mass of orange and brown hair. The girl in question turned around and glared. “Adrien is arriving today and since that is going to be his seat,” She pointed to the empty seat next in front of Marinette. “This is going to be my seat.” Her hand came down on the table again. “Get it?”

 

“Who’s Adrien?” Marinette puzzled. Chloe was, without fail, always unconcerned with anyone but herself, Sabrina and her soulmate. The last two might be a stretch on some days.

 

Chloe laughed. “I can’t believe you don’t know who Adrien is! What rock have you been living under?”

 

Sabrina joined in her laughter. “He’s only the most popular model in Paris.”

 

“And he’s my soul mate.” Chloe stressed her possession of the boy. “He adores me. So, go on. Move.”

 

“Hey! Who elected you queen of seats?” The new girl had moved from her seat to in front of Chloe. Everyone else watched. No one stood up to Chloe, they were all afraid of her.

 

“Ooooh,” Chloe mocked her. “Looks like we have a goody-two-shoes in our class this year. What are you going to do about it? Fire laser beams out of your glasses, four eyes?”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” She sneered and grabbed Marinette’s hand. “Come on.” She dragged her to the seat next to her. Marinette tripped over the stair spilling the rest of the macaroons.

 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Marinette rushed to pick up the soiled cookies. One was left untouched. She slid into the seat next to the new girl.

 

“No biggie. Chillax girl.” The girl who stood up to Chloe smiled.

 

“I wish I could stand up to Chloe like you did.” Marinette frowned and looked back up at Chloe, who was celebrating her victory with Sabrina.

 

“I just channeled my favorite superhero.” She pulled up a picture of Majestia. “She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.” She pointed at Chloe. “That girl is definitely evil and we are the good people.”

 

“That’s easier said than done. She likes to make my life miserable.”

 

“That’s because you let her, girl! All you need is more confidence.”

 

Marinette smiled and grabbed the last macaroon, breaking it in two. “Marinette.” She offered the half to her new friend.

 

“Alya.” The girl took the half and they touched them together like they were making a toast. Both girls ate their half happily.

 

“For those of you who don’t already know me, I’m Miss Bustier.” Their teacher started the first class of the school year the way she always did. She introduced her subject and told them what they were doing for that year. Marinette and Alya exchanged phone numbers and spent most of class passing back and forth a notebook so they didn’t interrupt Miss Bustier.

 

Marinette couldn’t help but notice, and be extremely satisfied, that Chloe’s soul mate had not made an appearance all morning. The bell rang, indicating the end of their first class for the day. She looked up to her classmates to see who was going to the stadium for gym next and who was headed towards the library. Kim passed a note to Ivan, snickering. Ivan, a large but generally sweet kid, read the note and crumpled it up.

 

“Kim!” Ivan yelled, gripping his classmate’s shirt front. “I’m so going to get you.” He raised his fist.

 

“Ivan! What is going on?” Miss Bustier exclaimed. “Put him down and go to the principal’s office!”

 

Ivan glowered and grabbed his bag, stomping off to Mr. Damocles’s office.

 

Marinette stared wide eyed. What had Kim said to get such a rise out of Ivan? Before she could ask, Kim bolted down the stairs towards the stadium.

 

Since she didn’t have gym next and neither did Alya, the two girls went to the library together, arms linked. They opened books and began their studying together. Alya and Marinette kept getting off track and talking about their lives and their hobbies. Alya loved super heroes and kept a detailed track of them on a blog she ran. “I would love to meet a real life super hero.” Alya smiled and held her phone to her chest. “It’s my dream.”

 

Just as they got back to studying French, the ground shook, knocking both girls to the ground. Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran out of the room. It was not an earthquake. The security monitors in the library displayed a large creature made of stone. It screamed, reminding Marinette of the video games she played. The creature sounded like Ivan?

 

“What’s going on?” Marinette looked to Alya, who looked too excited.

 

“It’s like he’s been transformed into a real life villain!” Her eyes lit up, excited. She scrolled through her phone for a second. “I’m so outta here!” Alya took off towards the entrance of the library. “Wherever there is a super villain, there is always a super hero close behind!” Alya shut the door, leaving Marinette alone in the library.

 

School was released early, finding the students would be safer from attack in their own home. Marinette curled up in her chair in front of her computer, watching the news broadcast. Her parents were downstairs, still running the bakery. There was an advisory to stay inside. The military was surrounding Ivan’s new form. The mayor told people to not fear, but to stay inside until the issue was resolved.

 

“I hate first days of school.” Marinette mumbled, looking down at her desk. There was a small hexagonal box that was not previously there. On the top of the box, there was an ornate, almost Chinese looking pattern. “What’s this doing here?” Marinette opened the box curiously and a bright flash of light filled her room.

 

A small creature manifested in front of the teen. Marinette, as most people would in the situation, jumped out of her seat and screamed. “Everything’s okay! Don’t be scared!” The creature spoke.

 

Marinette looked around and grabbed the first thing she saw, a book, and aimed for the big bug. The little creature flew around, easily avoiding whatever Marinette threw. “It talks!” She screamed again, throwing her shoe. Marinette grabbed a glass and captured it.

 

“Okay, if that makes you feel safer, Marinette.” The creature smiled at Marinette.

 

“What are you?” Marinette slowly inched towards her trap door. “And how do you know my name?”

 

“I’m a kwami and my name is Tikki.” Tikki bowed slightly. “Now, let me explain.”

 

She started to open the door. “Mom! Dad!”

 

“No, no, no, no, shh.” Tikki’s big eyes widened, her expression suddenly very concerned. She phased out of the glass with a small whooshing sound. “I’m your friend, Marinette. You must trust me. You’re the only one who can stop Stoneheart.”

 

Marinette slowly lowered the trap door and moved away. Tikki spent the next few minutes explaining what she was and the powers she possessed, and by extension, what powers Marinette would possess when she transformed.

 

“Marinette, you’re the chosen one!” Tikki flew close to her face. “No one must know I exist. Not even your parents. All you have to do is break the Akumatized object and capture the Akuma.”

 

She put the earrings in, changing out the small gold ones she had on previously. “And the charm thingy?”

 

“That’s your secret super power!” Tikki explained. “All you have to do is say is transform me.”

 

“Transform me?” Marinette asked. Suddenly, her earrings glowed and Tikki was sucked into them. Everything around Marinette started to glow, her skin flashed as a polka dotted suit took place of her usual clothes. A mask popped over her eyes. In her room sat a new super hero. Her costume was skin tight,  yo-yo wrapped around her hips. Marinette looked at herself in the full length mirror. “Tikki?” The kwami was nowhere to be seen. “How does this thing come off?” She tried in vain to pull at the skin tight suit. “I want my normal clothes back!”

 

The television showed a helicopter view of Stoneheart, throwing cars around and jumping across streets. A flame of auburn hair caught Marinette’s attention. The owner of said hair followed Stoneheart on a bicycle, and could only belong to her newest friend, Alya.

 

“Destroy the Akumatized object, capture the Akuma.” Marinette repeated to herself. Alya was in danger and she was the only one who could stop Stoneheart. “I can do this. I can do this. I can do it.”

 

“Marinette?” Her mother’s voice called from downstairs. “Did you get home okay?”

 

“Yeah, mom, just super!” Marinette looked around in an attempt to find something to cover her new outfit. She flew up the ladder towards her bed and out onto her balcony when she heard the hatch opening.

 

“Marinette? You in here?” She could hear her mother from where she stood on the rooftop balcony. “Tom? We should call the school.” Her mother closed the hatch and left to go back downstairs.

 

“Okay. So, I have special powers... And,” she noted. “This amazing super yo-yo thingy?” The little yo-yo was light and moved easily in her hand like she had been wielding it all her life. Marinette gave it an experimental zip down at her side. It snapped back up to her immediately. Testing it again, Marinette flung it out into the open sky, watching as it gave no sign of stopping. At some point beyond her field of view, it stopped moving and something inside her stirred. She knew she could trust it. Giving one last tug to make sure it was secure, Marinette lept off the fence of her balcony and into the sky. The yo-yo did it’s job, coiling the string tightly back into place, just like it did by her side seconds ago.

 

She screamed, terrified that a tiny string was giving her the ability to swing like Spider-Man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading<3 i'm so glad to see you guys enjoy this!!! the second part is going to be from adrien's pov and that's when things will really start to pick up drama-wise  
> also a HUGE thank you and lots of hugs to those who left comments!!!!  
> @kissinggfish on tumblr as always<3


	4. Stoneheart - Adrien (pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a model, something you should worry about is your father finding out about your public education dreams, not super-secret super-powers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow look they finally meet, 10k in...

From the elementary school play onwards, Adrien spent most of his days with Chloe. She was his only friend, and his soul mate. As a child, he was taught to never question his superiors. He was always in high demand as a model, especially since he was already matched to his soul mate. Chloe went with him to his various shows, the photoshoots and everything, when she didn’t have school, of course. Lots of photographers loved to get them together and pose in matching outfits. Chloe featured heavily in the summer collections since she was in school for most of the other three seasons.

 

Adrien was put as a model first. School was a secondary idea, cramming chapters between camera or scene set-ups and educational videos playing in the background of dinner and phone calls with his father. He never thought of his life as abnormal. Adrien never truly thought of deviating from his norm until one summer when his father was halfway across the world.

 

“School is okay, I guess.” He was lying in a park with Chloe, watching the birds fly by above their heads. She was gesturing here and there, talking about the people she knew that were near. “I am obviously the most popular girl. Everyone looks to me for advice. That’s why I’m the class leader. Plus, I’ve seen color the longest.”

 

He is barely listening. Today was a rare free day, away from his father, from cameras, from makeup specialists. “Cool,” Adrien makes sure Chloe knows she is being listened to.

 

“I like history the best, because I’m the best at it.” She sits up and flips her blonde ponytail back. “What’s your favorite subject, Adrikins?”

 

“Uh,” he pauses, unsure how to respond. “History?”

 

“We are _so_ soul mates! We even like the same things!” Her voice trilled and she gave his arm a tight squeeze.  


“Yeah, we are.” Adrien smiles, mirroring his soul mates’ smile. “What do you like most, not subjects?”

 

“Socializing.” She replied without skipping a beat. “I don’t know how you do it. I couldn’t go through school without my friends. I need people to break up all the learning.” Chloe pauses to look out across the mass of people. “Not like you have anyone to tell, but don’t tell anyone I said that.” Her blue eyes snapped back to look at his confused face. “Besides me, who do you talk to?”

 

The model shrugged. “I am too busy to have friends.”

 

“That’s not normal.” Her tone flattened. Being blunt will always be Chloe’s specialty. “You need friends.”

 

“I have you,” He smiled. “Besides, who wants to be friends with someone who is always busy?”

 

She turned to him quickly. “Oh! I have an idea!” Chloe beamed the way she used to when they stole away from the camera and played outside. “You should go to school with me next year!”

 

His eyes light up, ideas swirling around him. Having more than one friend, learning at a regularly scheduled pace, taking more breaks from being a model. He could finally put himself first and his father’s career could take a backseat to his development as a young adult once and for all. “Yeah!” Adrien replies moments later with the same enthusiasm as his soul mate.

 

They made plans to set him up in school behind his father’s back and Chloe delivered all the papers for Adrien. She even forged his father’s signature on the admission paperwork. Everything was going according to plan until the evening before the first day of school.

 

Nathalie came in before he settled down and washed the makeup off his face. “Adrien, we need to discuss this public school business.”

 

With his back turned away, his face crumples. Adrien was looking forward to a new start. Nathalie could have waited until the next day to say anything. “What about it? Father signed off on it.”

 

His father’s assistant sighs loudly. “No, Chloe forged it. Adrien, don’t be stupid. You know how your father feels about you attending public school.”

 

Adrien sat down on his bed. “I’m almost fifteen, why can’t I make my own decisions about my life?”

 

“That is because you don’t think about the big picture. You are not attending Collège Françoise Dupont. Ever.” Nathalie turned around and closed his door before Adrien could open his mouth to protest.

 

In the morning, Adrien Agreste does what any normal teenager would do. He sneaks out of his lavish mansion against his father’s express wishes and ran off towards the school.

 

Adrien did not know much of the city, as he quickly learned from his short journey. The Gorilla normally chauffeurs him around in the family limousine and all Adrien needs to do is memorize his schedule for the day, maybe listen to music if Nathalie isn’t hounding him about something. He knew he lived two blocks away. Adrien walked with Chloe home many times before. Instead of taking the easiest route, left at his street corner and right at the end of the park, Adrien took the path less travelled. He looped the Place de Chatelet, walked the long side of Chloe’s hotel and down a row of houses ending with a bakery near the park before the school came into view. And of course, the screeching tires pulled the limo to a halt right at the steps of the school.

 

Nathalie stepped out of the car the second the tires stopped squealing. “Adrien, please reconsider!” She called out to the boy almost at the staircase. “You know what your father wants.” Nathalie and Gorilla walk seamlessly up to Adrien and stand in his way.

 

“But, this is what _I_ want to do.” Adrien can’t feel his hands shaking as he presses one against his chest. He turns to walk up the staircase when a voice calls his attention.

 

An old Chinese man was sprawled on the ground, his wooden cane kicked just feet away from his grasp. He was struggling, barely able to make an attempt at getting it. Without a moment of delay, Adrien zips past Nathalie, crouching down next to the old man, grabbing his cane for him. Adrien took the old man’s hand and helped him to his feet. The man was uninjured, thankfully.

 

“Thank you, young man.” He had a kind smile that wrinkled the corners of his chestnut eyes.

 

Adrien offered back a smile and when he looked back at Nathalie and Gorilla waiting, it faded. They turned to face him, stern expressions set in stone. They were not pleased and his father was sure to hear about this later today. Keeping his head down, Adrien shuffled back to his guardians.

 

“I just want to go to school like everyone else. What’s the harm in that?” Adrien offered an answer to the question neither adult voiced. “Please don’t tell my father about this.” It was too late to make that plea and he knew it by the screen Nathalie’s tablet was on. The limo door closed and Adrien messaged Chloe about what happened. He didn’t expect a reply any time soon, she was at school.

 

Back at his mansion, Adrien pushed tiny pieces of his eraser around the table with his pencil tip as Nathalie circled the table like a vulture. The textbook she recited out of was purchased from the library across the bridge. “Who was the first president of the fifth French Republic?”

 

“Everyone thinks it was de Gaulle but it was actually Rene Coty before the first elections.” His chin rested in the palm of his hand, rolling his eyes as he recited the correct answer.

 

“Excellent work, Adrien.” She stood up straighter, her next question interrupted.

 

“Give me a minute, would you, Nathalie?” His father stood in the entryway to the dining room the two were currently studying in.

 

“Yes, sir.” She put the book down and left Adrien alone with his father and no witnesses.

 

“You are not going to school. I already told you.” Gabriel Agreste was dressed in his signature white suit with his red and white striped ascot tucked in neatly.

 

Even though Adrien knew his father was informed, he still felt betrayed. The boy ducked his head, avoiding the stern gaze of his father. “But,” he started meekly.

 

“Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye one you.” Gabriel interrupted his son before a coherent word could come out. “I will not have you outside in the dangerous world.”

 

It’s not dangerous, he wants to say. Adrien knows he’ll be shot down again. The punishment will be bad enough for even _thinking_ of such a ridiculous plan to get him enrolled in school. He just wanted to make friend like everyone else.

 

His father either read his mind, or in his emotional turmoil, Adrien spoke without realizing it. “You aren’t like everyone else. You are my son! Nathalie, continue.” Gabriel stepped out without another look back.

 

Nathalie looked down at the book. “We can leave it there for today, if you’d like.”

 

Adrien bolted out of his seat, furious, and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He slammed the door shut, knowing he’ll pay for being rude later. Throwing his things on the floor, Adrien lands face first into his mattress, sighing heavily. Flipping through his phone was mindless and boring. Adrien had no friend but Chloe, and she was at school, so he couldn't message her if he wanted.

 

Suddenly, loud sirens and shouting sounded through the open window in his window. Adrien looked up, slowly moving to the balcony. Outside, a barricade formed just beyond the locked gate. The ground beneath him shook evenly, like footsteps. He could hear the guns go off, a roar from a rock being and terrified screams of the officers.

 

Adrien ran back inside to safety, sitting on his couch and turning on the local news broadcast. Sure enough, helicopter footage followed the being. A voice over told citizens to take extreme caution, don't leave your current location, and to not confront the villain. Adrien looked down at his coffee table, noting a small box.

 

 _How long has this been here?_ Adrien picked it up, feeling the weight. It was an intricately designed box with red patterns carved in a dark wood. He opened it, a green light suddenly engulfing the room. Adrien shielded his eyes, trying to make out the faint shape taking form in the middle of the ball.

 

A… small cat? Adrien scooted closer. “Are you a genie?” He recalls Aladdin from his childhood, the poor soul saved by a magic container.

 

It laughed. The black flying cat laughed and shook its head. “No, I'm Plagg. I'm a kwami.” Plagg flew down to the small foosball players. “Can I eat these?” he tried to take a bite before he could answer.

 

“Hey! Get off there!” Adrien ran after it, shooing him away.

 

Plagg flew away to the video system, attempting to chew on the control stick. “What about this? Yuck! Nope.”

 

Adrien chased him around his room, finally managing to leap on top of him. “I still don’t know what you’re doing here?” The creature had no trouble turning to face him.

 

“Look,” Plagg rolled his eyes. “I’m a kwami. I grant powers. Yours is the power of destruction. Got it?”

 

He shook his head, “No.”

 

“Good.” Plagg looked around for something. “Do you have anything to eat? I’m famished!”

 

Adrien slowly stands up. “My dad is playing a prank on me, right?” He pauses and lets Plagg free from his grasp. “Wait, no. My father has no sense of humor.”

 

“Your father must never know I exist, or anyone else for that matter.” Plagg pointed menacingly in the model’s face. “You’re the chosen one.”

 

“How can I be chosen if I’m not even allowed to go to school?” Adrien laughs. “What good is a superhero that is stuck inside this house?”

 

“Absolutely none.” Plagg sits in front of the news broadcast. “That’s why I’m here. It’s all going to change soon. If you’re willing, that is.” Plagg gestures to the ring in his palm.

 

Looking down at it, it’s just a plain silver band with a circular engraving on the top. Nothing too special when first examined. He shrugs and slips it onto his finger. It fit perfectly. Adrien held it in front of his face, wondering how a silver ring could change anything.

 

“Transform me.” Plagg pops up by his hip. “That’s how you transform.”

 

“Got it.” Adrien strikes a pose like he saw in comics growing up. “Plagg, transform me!”

 

“Wait! I haven’t finished explaining!” Plagg tries in vain as the magic sucks him into the ring and his transformation begins.

 

There was another flash of green light, a mask appearing over his eyes and cat like ears crop up between blond locks. Adrien’s body is slowly engulfed in green light and the person who emerges strikes a broad pose. He was in leather, head to toe. The cat ears seemed to twitch like a regular cat’s ears would at sounds. He felt like his vision was enhanced, but that might have just been his imagination. At the small of his back was a silver baton with a cat’s paw engraved on it. It looked to be his superhero weapon, but until further notice, was just a metal stick on his back. The skin-tight suit felt natural to Adrien, and even comfortable. He had a large golden bell on his neck, which looked like a zipper, and fashionable boots. A belt acted as a tail and what felt like plastic tipped gloves were claws.

 

“Too cool,” Adrien says in awe in front of the closest mirror. He looks around for Plagg and realized he was sucked into the ring. With no idea how to summon Plagg back, Adrien opened his window. “He said I had to be open to change, right?” Leaping out the window, Adrien soared over the heads of police officers too busy fleeing the scene to notice. He decided to revisit the baton, unhooking it from the suit. Adrien clicked the paw and the baton extended ten feet to the next building, making a relatively easy walk way.

 

A screaming girl caught his attention, his head whipping around to look for her. A red blur came crashing down next to him, a string tangling around her. “S-sorry,” the girl started. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

 

“Nice of you to drop in.” He smiled at the girl. “You must be the partner my kwami mentioned.” Adrien puffs out his chest in a false bravado. “I’m…” A good superhero needs a cool name, he knows that much. Adrien purses his lips before a brilliant idea struck. “Chat Noir. Yeah. Chat Noir.”

 

His partner tugged wildly on the string, it must be her weapon. “I’m Ma- Ma-” The string goes slack and a round object hits Adrien square on the head. “Madly clumsy...” She looks away from him again, coiling up her yo-yo. “I am so clumsy.”

 

“No sweat, clumsy girl.” Adrien flashes the best smile he could manage. “We’re both learning the ropes.”

 

In the distance, a building is turned to rubble in a matter of seconds. Adrien jumps quickly, his baton accelerating him onto the roof of the closest building. The more he used it, the more it felt like an extension of him and it just _knew_ what he wanted.

 

“Wait! Where are you going?” His partner shouted from the ground. She was just a small red form from his viewpoint.

 

Adrien turned around to shout back. “To save Paris, of course!” His baton easily extended to vault him into the next rooftop. His partner would have to catch up. Adrien wasn’t going to wait for her.

 

“Trust yourself.” Marinette bit her lip and exhaled shakily before twirling her yo-yo and flinging it to follow Chat Noir. She screamed again, terrified of her falling to her death. The yo-yo proved more than capable to carry her from place to place, but it was terrifying each time.

 

Chat Noir kept himself a steady pace ahead of her, clearly more adept at the super hero thing than she was. Marinette doubted her abilities even more, seeing how smoothly Chat Noir carried himself. If Tikki was right, why was she so nervous? Is she really chosen to do this?

 

At the stadium, classmates were starting to pack up and cool down after class. News of their Akumatized classmate had not reached them yet. The rumble announcing Stoneheart’s arrival was easily mistaken for an earthquake and several students ran away to find shelter underneath tables and in doorways.

 

“KIM!” Stoneheart bellowed, stomping into view. As soon as it saw its target, Stoneheart bound toward Kim.

 

Kim tried to flee, he really did. The ground quaked beneath him with every step, causing him to fall to the ground. He looked up at the villain as it reached for him. This was it, he thought.

 

A silver baton stood between them and a masked hero stood between them. “How about picking on someone your own size?” Chat Noir stood no taller than Kim, taking a broad stance and challenging the easily two-story stone beast.

 

“Guess you mean yourself?” Stoneheart’s voice sounded like pebbled grating against one another. He quickly swiped at Chat Noir, lunging forward each time. Each time, Chat Noir dodged the hits. He did a backflip, landing a hit square on the joint between two rocks. Stoneheart paused, glowing yellow before doubling in size.

 

“Where are you partner?” Chat Noir moved backwards quickly. Plagg said only his partner could truly defeat the Akumatized villain. Stoneheart moved to more physical attacks, pounding the ground near Chat Noir.

 

Marinette stood on the roof of the stadium, watching the action. Chat Noir was in danger. All of Paris was in danger. She was the only one who could stop Stoneheart. “I can’t.” She mumbled covering her eyes as Stoneheart went in for another blow. “I’m not meant for this.”

 

Stoneheart grabbed the goal post and easily lobbed it over Chat Noir’s head. Chat Noir followed the path of destruction and his eyes landed on a girl with crazy hair and a phone. Panic set in Marinette as she watched him throw his baton, blindly trusting it to do the magic he knew it held. It extended itself over Alya’s head just in time to deflect the goal post, the heavy object hitting the ground several feet away from her new friend.

 

Chat let his guard down long enough for Stoneheart to snatch him off the ground. Stoneheart’s grip tightened, just enough to make the superhero uncomfortable. Marinette couldn't think straight. This boy needed her help and she was useless. All of Paris was counting on her.

 

“What are you waiting for, super bug?” Alya’s voice cut through the fog in Marinette’s head. “The whole world is watching!”

 

The whole world? Something churned in Marinette’s stomach. Her life as a high schooler was going to be stressful enough with homework and soul mates and college applications. Being a superhero was not on her agenda. Marinette had already planned her future out. She tried to focus on the task at hand. After she saves Paris, Tikki can take the powers back, no problem. She can do it once.

 

With her convictions set, Marinette grips her yo-yo tighter, swinging into action. An idea in her mind, Marinette swung her string around Stoneheart’s ankles and yanked it taught. “Animal cruelty? How shameful.” Her little one liner made her excited that she thought on the fly with her speech for once.

 

Stoneheart’s feet snapped together and he fell to the ground, releasing Chat Noir and causing another earthquake in the process. Chat Noir tumbled away into the recently uprooted goal post.

 

“Sorry I took so long, Chat Noir.” Marinette came running to his side, worried he had been injured.

 

“It's all good, Wonder-bug, now let's kick his rocky--” Chat cracked his knuckles, ready and raring for round two with Stoneheart.

 

“Wait!” Without thinking, Marinette grabbed Chat Noir’s tail, holding him back. “Haven't you noticed he gets stronger after every attack? You can't just rush him. We need to do something different.” Marinette placed her hands on her hips, tapping fingers against the hard plastic of her yo-yo.

 

“Different how?” Chat held his tail like she violated him. His face scrunched up, trying to think of a secondary angle of attack.

 

Her words failed her. Instead of answering him in a coherent sentence, Mariette just stared at the ground, making unsure noises.

 

“Let's use our powers!” Chat exclaimed, already moving into his pose. “CATACLYSM!” His claws were tainted with a bubbling dark aura. “Apparently, I'll destroy whatever I touch.” Chat held his hand aloft, letting the magic amaze his partner.

 

“I don't need a super power to destroy anything,” Marinette mumbled, crossing her arms across her body defensively. In her moment of self-doubt, she forgot to watch her headstrong partner. “No!”

 

Her call came too late. Chat Noir pressed his glowing hand against the goalpost, watching with a degree of satisfaction as it crumbled. “Cool! Time to rumble, soon to be rubble!” He struck yet another pose before rushing at Stoneheart, right hand outstretched.

 

“Wait!” She called out as Chat Noir reached Stoneheart’s feet.

 

Across the field, Chat Noir was realizing his mistake. “I guess I only get one shot,” Stoneheart took no time in kicking him back to where he started.

 

“And you only have five minutes before you transform back! Didn't your kwami tell you anything?”

 

“I was as little excited to start my new life.” He smiled.

 

“I guess it's up to me,” her voice was less shaky than it was a few minutes ago. “Lucky Charm!” Marinette’s yo-yo spun upwards, emitting a ray of light. From that ray of light, an inflatable dummy floated down. It appeared to be colored the same as her suit. She ignored the chuckle coming from Chat.

 

“My kwami told me to break the object where the Akuma is.” She looked uneasily behind her.

 

“He is made entirely of stone.” Chat pointed out.

 

“His right hand.” A plan was already forming. “It's never opened. It's like the Russian dolls, the akumatized object isn't on him, and it’s hidden in his fist!”

 

“What’s your plan?”

 

Mariette looked around. Nonexistent puzzle pieces formed in her mind, following a polka dotted path; Stoneheart’s fist, Alya, a water faucet, the hose at their feet. “This.” Marinette grabbed the end of the hose, attaching it to her inflatable Lucky Charm. “Trust me.” Her yo-yo wrapped itself around Chat’s ankles, tightening their grip. She swung him around and aimed him directly at Stoneheart.

 

“This girl is crazy!” She hears him yell. Chat is snatched up by Stoneheart in a matter of seconds.

 

“Catch me if you can!” Marinette swung in from above, her inflatable suit in her hand. Just as predicted, Stoneheart dropped a small rock in order to catch her. “Alya, now!”

 

Alya, who had been watching their movements, understood completely, rushing over to the faucet. The wheel was turned quickly, water rushing to fill the suit. In surprise, Stoneheart dropped Marinette.

 

As soon as her feet touched the grass, Marinette ran towards the small purple Akuma. It crushed easily under her foot, shattering in much smaller pieces and releasing a black, purple and white butterfly. Satisfaction swelled in her chest, watching the bug fly away. Behind her, Ivan and Chat Noir fall down, the transformation released. The rocks quickly vanish with a puff of smoke. Ivan rubs his head, unsure of the events that just unfolded.

 

“Why am I here?” Ivan looked up at the superheroes for answers.

 

“This girl is amazing. This girl is crazy awesome!” Chat joins his partner, beaming. “You were incredible, Miss… bug lady.”

 

She was blushing, embarrassed by all of his praise. “We both did it.”

 

Chat Noir and Marinette looked at each other before raising their fists. “Pound it!” Both teenagers smiled.

 

 _Beep beep._ Chat Noir’s ring was flashing a nearly empty paw print.

 

“Our identities must remain a secret.”

 

“Then, farewell my Lady. I hope to see you again soon.” Chat Noir bowed before running off and leaping away on his baton.

 

“Not too soon, I hope.” Marinette turned back to Ivan, who sat dejectedly on the green. She unfolded the previously akumatized paper. “You can't even own up to Mylene and tell her how you feel.”

 

“She's not my soul mate, but I'm in love with her. Kim is always making fun of me.”

 

“Oh, Ivan.” Marinette crouched next to her classmate. “There is no shame in telling someone you love them.”

 

“Hey, how do you know my name, Miss?”

 

She stopped and gave an awkward smile. Marinette looked around for an escape.

 

“Amazing! Incredible! Spectacular!” Alya held her cellphone out, recording them. “Will you be protecting Paris from now on? How did you get your powers? Did you get bit by a radioactive ladybug? I have a _ton_ of questions for you, Miss uh!”

 

Marinette started walking away, intending to fly away just like Chat Noir just did. She paused, turning to face Alya and her camera. “Call me Ladybug.” Just like that, she flew up across the stadium and across the skyline.

 

The next morning, Adrien sat watching the news. The mayor stood at a podium, congratulating the new superheroes. There was going to be a celebration in their honor the next afternoon.

 

“Ladybug,” He said dreamily. “Her name is Ladybug.”

 

“What is this?” Plagg exclaimed, holding a sundae. “If you expect me to recharge after a transformation, I need to eat something more delicate.”

 

“Okay,” Adrien picked up the discarded food. “What do you want?”

 

“Camembert!”

 

Adrien sighed. Camembert was the smelliest cheese. If all Plagg ate was Camembert, he would constantly smell of cheese.

 

“--panic is sweeping across the city as dozens of people are mysteriously transformed into atone monsters! These victims are still like statues, police don't know what will happen. Will they come to life, or will they stay like that forever?”

 

Adrien looked on, horrified. “Plagg, what happened? We defeated Stoneheart.”

 

“Did you capture the Akuma?” Plagg barely looked up from his cheese.

 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Adrien perplexed.

 

“Only Ladybug can capture and purify an akuma and repair the damage caused by the attack. You have to find her to do anything about it.”

 

He looked at the clock. “I have to get to school.” Adrien packed away a couple wedges of cheese and ran out his door.

 

“You're such a strange kid. Why do you want to go to school?” Plagg kept up with his easily.

 

“You don't get it.” He took a shortcut through the park. “He wants to keep me shut inside all the time. I want to have friends. I want to be normal.” As he spoke, Adrien realized how unusual his circumstances were.

 

The steps of the school were easy to run up. The model was so close.

 

“Adrien! Don't do this!” Nathalie stepped out of the car. “Your father will be furious.”

 

“Tell him you got here too late! Please!” Not waiting for a response, Adrien ran inside.

 

“Adrien! You came!” Chloe ran up from her group of friends and hugged him. Her voice carried over and attracted the attention of other classmates. The famous model was here at their school!

 

Adrien shook hands awkwardly with everyone Chloe introduced to him. None of the names stuck in his mind. Adrien was just happy he was at a school. A real school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol no drama yet. i decided to make you wait.  
> i'll try to update next week (who knows, im playing pokemon like nonstop), marinette will find out about her colorful problem and adrien will learn how much of a bitch chloe is lmao  
> Edit: i changed the title bc i felt this fit the story more  
> @kissinggfish as always <3


	5. A Sudden Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stuck between a rock and a hard place, marinette accepts the role of ladybug and meets her soulmate all in one afternoon... with complications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (one month later...)

The next morning, Marinette watched the news with her father. The segment was about the new stone creatures. Her television jumped to sections of different streets around central Paris, all blocked off with at least one armored police guarding each one.

 

“We won’t stop until we find a way to get these people back to their normal selves.” Mayor Bourgeois starts. “But for now, we aren’t making much headway.” The way he hangs his head is somber, but it’s all for show.

 

“Paris is relying on our new guardian angels, Ladybug and Chat Noir,” The anchor spoke once more, jumping to an action shot of them flying away after the first Stoneheart was defeated. “They will save us all.”

 

Marinette’s grip on her spoon tightened. Everyone was counting on her.

 

“Listen,” her father, sensing her tension, put a comforting arm around his daughter. “I know it’s scary, but don’t worry. We have two superheroes helping Paris and the best way to help them is to show them we aren’t afraid. Because,” her father takes a ridiculous pose, eyes closed and fist brought up, like long over-due justice was finally served. “We trust them.”

 

“But…” Marinette set her bowl in the sink. “What if Ladybug fails?”

 

“Then I would come and save you!” He said like it was the most obvious choice. “Super Baker to the rescue!” He pulled the fresh baguette off the counter and brandished it like a weapon, jabbing into an invisible enemy.

 

Laughing, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Super Dad.” Breakfast done, she headed up the stairs to grab her purse.

 

In her room, her eyes lingered for too long on the drawer of her vanity that held the earrings. She couldn’t be Ladybug. She couldn’t even capture an akuma. Marinette knew she could never save anyone. She was entirely too clumsy, too awkward, and too uncomfortable in a crowd. She was everything a superhero wasn’t. She was everything Ladybug couldn’t be. Picking up the hexagonal box, Marinette was afraid. Paris was counting on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Paris was counting on _her._

 

No. Her fist clenched around the box. Paris was counting on _Ladybug_. She was not Ladybug. Marinette packed her earrings away in her purse, deciding to give them back, or maybe to Alya, who would take the job no questions asked and she would love every second of it. Alya would be a much better Ladybug than she could ever be.

 

Without another doubt, Marinette bound down the stairs and out the door. She promised Alya that she would meet her before school and walk with her to class. They met at the steps and walked up together.

 

“The Ladyblog!” Alya presented her phone. “Bringing you all the latest news about the new Paris superhero!”

 

Marinette took the phone and scrolled down the blog’s contents. So far, there was the video she took at the stadium of Ladybug announcing her name and an article a real news blog posted about who she was and speculation about her intentions. The blog was mostly white with a wispy light color in the background. A silhouette of her was decorated in one color, black dots scattered around and a question mark over her face. As the header, Ladyblog was written in a loopy font with her symbol as the “o”. Alya had a picture of herself in there too, showing the creator. Underneath the header, a smaller one stated “everything Ladybug”.

 

“This took me so long to finish! It is hard to match colors when you can’t see them!” Alya took her phone back and laughed. “Check out the number of views I’ve gotten!” She tapped her screen to show the video she posted and the impressive amount of views.

 

“But, why do you trust her?” Marinette looked away from her friend. “All these stone beings… She couldn’t stop them and now--”

 

“She’ll handle it!” Alya said determined, cutting off Marinette’s thought.

 

“What if she’s not cut out to be a superhero like everyone thinks?”

 

“What are you talking about, girl?” Alya steps closer, adjusting her glasses and peering suspiciously at her. “I know what this is about…”

 

Panic set in quicker than it should. Did Alya know who she was? Would she tell everyone her secret? What if she posted this on her Ladyblog? Marinette’s mind went a hundred kilometers a minute, thinking about all the bad things that could happen if someone found out who she was.

 

“You’re just scared.” Alya rested a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be. I’ve seen her with my own two eyes, girl! She’s a true superhero. She’s going to protect us all.” Trying to make her laugh, Alya struck cliché poses, each more ridiculous than the last as she spoke. “I believe in her.” Alya laid a hand on her chest and looked at Marinette with genuine trust and adoration for Ladybug.

 

Marinette looked down at her purse and smiled. Could she? Alya was walking toward a small gathering of people, Ivan in the middle. Running to catch up to Alya, Marinette kept her smile going.

 

“You seriously don’t remember anything?” Alix sounded worried about him.

 

“You were totally going ballistic!” Juleka stood off, not quite in the group. “It was awesome.”

 

Kim joined in, “You were seriously about to crush me dude. I take it back what I said.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Ivan started, not looking anyone in the eyes. “I wasn’t myself.”

 

Mylene stood behind everyone, watching silently. News travelled fast in schools, so the note Kim sent had reached her ears sometime after Ivan’s transformation back into his normal self. She wasn’t mad at him at all. And she had no idea how to approach her best friend after what happened.

 

“Once a monster, always a monster.” Chloe’s voice was music to no ears but her own. She earned herself several glares from spectators.

 

Ivan was not having it. He glared at her and balled his fists, standing up from the bench and storming away. People moved out of his way as he stomped off into the hallways.

 

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Chloe called after him, her laughter was a shrill tittering akin to nails on the chalkboard.

 

Alya, always channeling her favorite superhero, walked right up to Chloe and got in her face. “How could you say that to Ivan? You’re the real Stoneheart.”

 

“So, I’m the one who broke Sabrina’s dad’s arm, am I?” She held her hand aloft, as if the very notion was preposterous. “Just because you’re footage of the lame new heroes got you on the news, doesn’t mean you have the right to be all high and mighty.” Chloe closed in on Alya, blowing a perfect bubble with her gum, popping it to signify the end of her comments.

 

“Oh, you little--” Alya’s face scrunched up in anger, her fists closing and her body tensing.

 

“Oh no! Look out!” Chloe feigned terror. “She’s going to transform into a huge muscled monster! Ladybug, save me!” She wrapped her arms around herself, swishing side to side.

 

Alya glared at her and without another word, turned around and drug Marinette off with her. Neither turned around when Chloe started to squeal like an overly enthusiastic child. Whatever she was excited about drew many others as well.

 

“I’ll meet you in class,” Alya smiled at Marinette. “Go find Ivan and make sure he’s okay.”

 

Marinette found Ivan in the lockers, crouched in front of his own and listening to music. She crouched next to him and nudged his arm. “Hey,”

 

Ivan took of his headphones and gave her a weak smile. “Hey.”

 

“You know,” she began carefully. “You should tell Mylene how you feel.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ivan refused to look at her.

 

“Come on, I see the way you look at her.”

 

Ivan’s brow furrowed, a low growl coming from his throat.

 

“No, no, please.” Marinette backed off the topic quickly, remembering Tikki’s words about the akuma festering inside him. “No negative emotions.”

 

That comment earned her a glare.

 

“What I mean is, think positively. Maybe Mylene has feelings for our too? Our ancestors used to do this all the time, my parents told me. Before the chip, everyone had feelings like yours. All you need to do is talk to her.”

 

“I'm no good with words anyway.” Ivan scoffed at the very idea.

 

“Who needs words? You could draw something, pick flowers, uh…” beginning to draw a blank, Marinette offered a smile as Ivan’s mind started turning gears.

 

“I could write her a song!”

 

“Yeah! What girl wouldn't love a song written just for her?” Marinette clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. “You've got this! And remember,” Ivan was already getting up and running off. “Stay positive!” She stayed sitting on the floor, watching her friend run off.

 

Alya came moments later. “Hey, girl. Way to diffuse a situation! You should have seen the way Chloe was drooling over that new boy though.”

 

“New boy?” Marinette cocked her head. “I didn't know we had more than one new kid this year.”

 

“Yeah, he's famous _and_ her soul mate. I bet he's horrendous.” Alya cackled, flipping through her band new blog’s comment section.

 

“Oh, hey.” She saw a perfect opportunity. “Wouldn't you like to be a superhero and fight crime and stuff?”

 

“O. M. G.” Alya smiled wide. “In a heartbeat! I'm not afraid of anyone or anything.” Her friend looked at her. “Why?”

 

“No reason!” Her answer came too quickly, her arms flailing in front of her to cover awkwardness. Alya noticed nothing and kept walking. Subconsciously, Marinette’s arm was inside her purse, digging for the small hexagonal box. It felt heavier than it did this morning when she pulled it out. Alya kept her oblivion when Marinette snuck her hand inside her messenger bag and dropped the burden on her.

 

The small clunking sound of wood hitting a textbook was such a weight from Marinette’s chest that she was sure she could have drifted off to space. Alya was going to be a much better Ladybug. She knew it. Tikki would understand, right?

 

Marinette walked inside the classroom with Alya behind her. Chloe was in her spot, laughing horrendously and there was a strange blonde boy crouched by her seat. “Hey!” Marinette’s voice was much louder than she thought as she stomped over to him. “What are to doing?” Gum had been smeared onto the wood of her seat, right where her thigh should rest.

 

The boy didn't turn to look at her, but rather to look at Chloe. “I-uh-I…” he stammered and looked between Chloe and the gum.

 

She took a wide stance, copying Alya. Two bullies were plenty for her. “Okay, I get it you three.” Hands on her hips, she glared daggers into the stranger's back. “Very funny.”

 

He turned around, looking at the floor, fumbling to explain himself. “No, it's not-I-”

 

“Stop.” She snapped a tissue out of her bag and covered the offense. It would be too hard to remove while it was still tacky. He sat down next to the tissue and set her bag down. “You're friends with Chloe, right?” Her sneer was matched with a glare over to the ring leader. “I would think her soulmate was just as bad.”

 

“Why do people keep saying that?” the boy's voice was nearly lost in the chatter.

 

“Now do you see what I mean about respect?” Chloe’s words were meant to sting, but it only added fuel to the fire that was Marinette’s hate.

 

Alya tapped Marinette’s shoulder quickly. “Look at this!”

 

Of course he would be. Marinette sighed. “He is the son of my role model, Gabriel Agreste.”

 

“Daddy's boy. Teen supermodel. Chloe’s soul mate.” Alya almost laughed. “Don't even try to the associate.”

 

Class settled down as Madame Bustier started to take roll. “Agreste, Adrien.”

 

He fumbled and stood up, basically shouting. Marinette rolled her eyes and looked to Alya.

 

“Bourgeois, Chloe.”

 

“Present.”

 

“Brule, Ivan.”

 

Crashing through the door was a huge stone creature. Ivan wasn't at his seat. Marinette’s heart sank, realizing Ivan had been transformed back into Stoneheart.  “Present!” His voice grated ears. People started to run out of the classroom, screaming. “Mylene!”

 

Mylene stood horrified behind Marinette and couldn't struggle after his stony fingers wrapped around her. “Let go of me, Ivan!” She was near tears. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“I'm not Ivan! I'm Stoneheart!” he bellowed. “Because I want us to be together, forever!” Stoneheart snatched Chloe in his other fist and kicked out the wall of her classroom.

 

Marinette watched on in horror as she realized the only two people who could stop Stoneheart were nowhere to be seen. Chat Noir, at least. The tentatively decided Ladybug crouched next to her, checking her phone battery.

 

“Let's follow him!”

 

All she could manage was a terrified shake of her head and unintelligent muttering. “No, no. You go. I'm going to find myself a safe place to hide.”

 

“And miss Ladybug and Chat Noir in action!?” Alya sounded downright outraged at the idea.

 

Marinette held out Alya’s bag. “You and Ladybug will be much better off without me.”

 

“If you say so.” She waved goodbye to Marinette and ran out the shattered door and outside towards Stoneheart’s destructive path.

 

“Wait!” Without thinking, Marinette ran after Alya, her bag clutched desperately.

 

Outside, Chloe and Mylene dangle helplessly in Stoneheart’s grip. “You have _no_ idea who you’re dealing with.” Chloe crossed her arms and huffed. “Just you wait. When my father hears about this, he’ll send for the army, navy, the entire cavalry!”

 

“Don’t forget the superheroes!” Chat Noir used Stoneheart as a springboard and landed in front of him. The brief moment of contact made Stoneheart glow and swell, rocks growing bigger.

 

“Super incompetent is more like it.” Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. She was so different in front of him now. Her blue eyes didn’t hold the same sparkle and she conducted herself with authority she knows she doesn’t have in the situation. Chloe is clearly distressed, Adrien told himself, and of course she isn’t the calm and collected person he knows right now.

 

“You want the cavalry? Here it is!” The rumbling earthquake gave way to ten stone monsters coming out from the streets. They surrounded Chat Noir easily, sending low sweeps on the street trying to knock him off his feet. Chat Noir deftly dodged the duplicate Stoneheart, careful of where his baton hit. The largest one, the original, was thundering down the street towards the park.

 

“Ivan, where are we going?” Mylene asks hesitantly.

 

“I have a message to deliver, and then we'll be together forever!”

 

“If I'm getting in the way, just drop me off at the nearest police car.” Chloe interjected.

 

“No, I have plans for you, little monster.” His grip got slightly tighter on Chloe as they walked through the park entrance.

 

Marinette followed Alya the best she could, ducking past police lines and avoiding the newly formed stone beings. Chat Noir was further up the street, fighting off four beings at once.

 

“Ladybug, if you can hear me, I could really use a hand!” Chat dodged more attacks, landing closer and closer to Alya with each swing of the stone creatures' fist.

 

“What's she waiting for?” Alya aims her phone at the fight, keeping herself hidden behind a trash bin.

 

Marinette turned the corner just in time to see one of the stone beings pick up a car and throw it at Alya. She sees it and tries to run from her hiding spot.

 

Chat Noir throws his baton, almost the same way he threw it in the stadium yesterday. Marinette can see he was too late and Alya was trapped behind and car. Weaponless, Chat is scooped up by one of the creatures. The five of them are now walking away, most definitely headed to join the original Stoneheart in the park. Marinette can hear protests coming from Chat.

 

There was no other option. She was needed. Marinette, who had dropped Alya’s bag in shock several moments ago, now bent down to grab the strangely familiar hexagonal box. _Ladybug_ was needed.

 

The moment she heard the backing snap into place, the little ball of light zapped Tikki back into existence. “I knew you'd change your mind!”

 

“I need Ladybug.” Marinette felt the guilt wash over her. She knew transforming another time was a bad idea. Transforming made her feel like she could do anything she put her mind to, but she knew better than that. Marinette was the clumsiest person she knew and she knew nothing about saving people or fighting. But, she was the only one who could do anything to help. “I'm still not sure I'm cut out for the job, but I can't stand here with my arms crossed while my friends are in danger.”

 

Tikki smiled knowingly and waited for Marinette to say the magic words before zipping into her Miraculous and starting the transformation.

 

It felt good. Ladybug exhaled and threw her yo-yo around traffic posts and behind the car, giving her the leverage she needed to haul the car off of Alya. She struggled to hold onto it until Alya scrambled out from behind it and crouched on the ground.

 

“You need to get out of here,” Marinette flicked her yo-yo down to grab Chat’s baton. She walked past Alya, who stared at her in awe. “It’s dangerous.” She broke into a run and used her yo-yo to fly off into the direction of the quaking ground that could be nothing but the army of Stoneheart.

 

“My Lady!” Chat Noir called up to her as she somersaulted over them.

 

“Extend your staff!” She threw the baton down into Stoneheart’s enclosed fist and it easily popped open as Chat Noir followed her instructions. Chat sat on the ground, rubbing his head. He had undoubtedly hit it pretty hard during his fight.

 

There was no time for that! Marinette concentrated and willed her yo-yo to fly true and wrap itself around Chat’s leg, pulling him to safety in the nick of time.

 

Stoneheart brought his fist down where he was sitting seconds later. He let out a cry, furious that Ladybug had gotten in his way.

 

“Sorry for the delay!” Marinette called down to Chat Noir, who hung from the light post by his leg.

 

Chat Noir smiled up at her. “Have I told you that my favorite color is red?”

 

Marinette rolled her eyes. “We barely know each other! And we need to get out of here! Hold on.” The four Stonehearts were closing in and the only escape route was up. She jumped off the street lamp and kicked herself higher at the windowsill a story above. Chat Noir came with her, only finding his footing when she let go of him at the top of the building.

 

“Hey!” Chat called. “Aren’t we going to take care of them?”

 

“No.” Marinette stayed ahead of him, focused on the Eiffel Tower displayed on her yo-yo screen. “If we want to save them all, there is only one we need to focus on.” She touched down a block away from the Tower, Chat not far behind.

 

“This one?” Chat asked, pointing.

 

The police surrounded the Tower, aiming useless guns at him. They had set up a barricade, preventing the new Stonehearts from climbing the structure and joining Ivan. News helicopters flew as close as they dared. Mayor Bourgeois stood next to the police chief with a megaphone.

 

“Give me my daughter back!”

 

“Papa!” Chloe was in one of Stoneheart’s fists, Mylene in the other.

 

“You know what!” Stoneheart laughed. “With pleasure!” He reeled his arm back and sent Chloe flying towards the barricade.

 

Marinette jumped into action before her mind could process what was happening. Chat Noir stood eyes wide and horrified and the mayor was screaming. Chloe was praying for her life. Just before Chloe would have ended a smear on the pavement, Marinette dove in, catching her and landing on one knee.

 

“I didn’t swear!” Chloe burst out.

 

“What?” Marinette helped Chloe to her feet and she immediately ran to her father.

 

“My angel!” Mayor Bourgeois might have actually been crying as he embraced his daughter.

 

“Proceed with the assault!” The police chief exclaimed.

 

All at once, their guns were poised to fire. “Ready!” All of them cocked their guns, fingers on the trigger.

 

“No!” Marinette stood in front of one of the gunmen. “You’ll only make things worse!”

 

“We don’t need superheroes! Get out of the way!” He waved his one good arm frantically. “Let the professionals handle this! You’ve already failed!”

 

Marinette opened her mouth, but no words came out. He was right. She already failed Paris, who is to say she won’t fail this time too? “He’s right.” She said, defeated. “If I had captured Stoneheart’s akuma in the first place, none of this would have happened. I really am a failure. I can’t be a superhero.” She buried her face in her hands. She’ll go off and tell Tikki to find a new Ladybug. There was no way she could.

 

“Hey,” a hand rests on her shoulder. “What are you talking about? That’s not true. Without you, Chloe wouldn’t be here anymore. So, pull yourself together. Without us, they won’t make it. We’ll prove it to them.” Chat smiles at her. “Trust me. Alright?”

 

“Alright.” Marinette looks up at him and returns his smile. Whoever Chat Noir was is such a nice person, Marinette decided. He deserved a partner who would be able to be at his side one hundred percent.

 

Suddenly, Stoneheart lets out a low, slow groan. A thousand butterflies flew out of his mouth, letting Stoneheart stumble and fall to the floor below. He didn’t move. Marinette was about to fly towards him when the butterflies changed their shape. It was almost human, a face, perhaps.

 

No, that was definitely a face. The swarm moved up and down, like someone was talking. A voice soon followed, like a television with the audio just barely out of sync with the program. “Ladies and gentleman. I am Hawkmoth! Listen to me carefully.” Horrified people aimed cameras at the mass. “Ladybug! Chat Noir! Give me your Miraculous! The ladybug earrings and the black cat ring. Everything will go back to normal if you do. No one will suffer because of you anymore.”

 

Marinette wasn’t thinking straight. Her head hurt and she was done with people talking down to her. “Nice try, Hawkmoth.” She advanced towards the form, slowly clapping her hands. “Don’t try to reverse the roles. We all know who the real villain is. You are the one who transformed innocent people into stone monsters.” She widens her stance, her confidence found. “Hawkmoth! It doesn’t matter how long it takes, but we will find you and you will be the one to give us your Miraculous!” Breaking out into a run, Marinette used her yo-yo to catch all the butterflies. “I’m freeing you from evil!” One by one, his form disappeared and in a flash of light, all the dark butterflies vanished into her yo-yo.

 

The onlookers stared in disbelief as she turned around.

 

“I promise to all of you. No matter who hurt you, Ladybug and Chat Noir will always be there to help you.” She pressed the center of her yo-yo and it released a thousand bright butterflies. They dissipate quickly, as if they had never existed.

 

All around her, people cheered. She looked through the small crowd and found Chat, staring up at her in awe. She smiled, waving him up to her. The duo had unfinished business to take care of.

 

They touched down just as Stoneheart was standing up. “You will never take Mylene from me!” He cried, gripping her tighter and jumping onto the scaffolding to climb higher up the tower. “Come, my stone men!”

 

“What are we going to do?” Chat Noir cried, waving his arms at the advancing stone people. “We can’t lay a paw on them!”

 

“But we know where his akuma is.” Marinette bit her bottom lip, thinking.

 

“Yeah, his closed fist that’s also holding Mylene. So what about them?” Chat gestures wildly to the oncoming threat.

 

“He’s in love with her!” A plan began to formulate itself. “We don’t need to separate them. They need to be brought closer together!”

 

“In love?” Obviously, the idea was lost on Chat Noir. “But, what about--?”

 

“No time for that, follow me.” Marinette swung herself effortlessly up the scaffolding.

 

“I trust you,” Chat says, right behind her. “But I still think this idea is crazy.” He easily leaps up a story at a time. “Are you going to tell me what we’re going to do? Or it this just how it will work between us.”

 

Marinette flies past Chat Noir, easily scaling to the top. Stoneheart is just one story below her, the helicopters circling him making his ascent harder.

 

“I’m afraid of heights! Please, help!” Mylene called up.

 

“Don’t worry! Everything will be okay!”

 

“How do you expect to bring them closer?” Chat Noir rolled onto the viewing deck, bringing company with him. “They already look pretty cozy.”

 

“By using our powers.” She rolled her eyes, as if the answer was the most obvious one. “Lucky Charm!” Her dazzling swirl of ladybugs produced a parachute. “What do I do with this..?”

 

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Chat dodges the other stone men, careful not to hit them at all.

 

Marinette shrugged to herself. “We’ll see.” She slipped the parachute straps on and using the same technique she used to remove Alya from the car, she brought Mylene close to Stoneheart’s face, her lips brushing where his would be.

 

Shocked, Stoneheart moved his hand away, opening it and releasing Mylene and the akuma. Mylene had grabbed onto Stoneheart’s open hand, dangling several stories above ground. The crumbled piece of paper fell towards the ground. Without prompting, Chat Noir gave chase, using his baton to bat it back up to Marinette. She crushed it with ease, the small butterfly coming out of the object.

 

“No more evil doing for you.” She opened her yo-yo and spun it in large circles. “You’ve done enough harm.” Just as she was about to snap the butterfly up, a low rumble shook the Eiffel tower. Marinette snapped her head back to Stoneheart.

 

Ivan’s broken akuma meant he was no longer transformed into Stoneheart. Ivan and Mylene were now free falling with only hard concrete to greet them at the bottom. Stealing a look back at the akuma, who was inching further and further away, Marinette dove to rescue Mylene.

 

“Chat Noir, take care of Ivan!”

 

“Cataclysm!” Chat Noir used his power to quickly extend a longer pole out of the Eiffel Tower, catching Ivan as he passed by.

 

Marinette reached Mylene’s outstretched hand, turned around and threw her yo-yo at the akuma at the same time. She could barely even register if she caught it or not. The pull release on the parachute was yanked just in time to slow the two girls down and land them safely on the ground.

 

Marinette pressed the center of her yo-yo, relieved that a light butterfly flew out. “Bye-bye, little butterfly.” She turned to her lucky charm; the parachute had magically folded itself back up into the knapsack. “Miraculous Ladybug!” The flurry of ladybugs shot off in eight different directions, fixing all the destruction and returning the other stone men back to normal.

 

“Wow, are you seeing what I am?” Chat came up behind Marinette, Ivan’s arm wrapped around his shoulders.

 

“Yeah,” she smiled. “It’s marvelous, and incredible.” Marinette felt a swell of pride. She did this. She saved the day. “It’s… Miraculous.”

 

Over the next hour, reporters had gathered around the two heroes and the police escorted all the confused Parisians away. Chat Noir was answering most of the questions, making hilarious sound effects to recap the battle. Marinette was watching Ivan and Mylene in the distance. She left them to talk in private.

 

“They really are made for each other, huh?” Chat Noir pokes her side and snaps her back to the interview. “Just like us?”

 

“Yeah,” Marinette laughed, rolling her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time. The reporter in front said something about their incredible teamwork, to which both of them had to agree. Her eyes scanned the audience for Alya, who was nowhere to be seen. What had started out as a small headache has quickly blossomed in the back of her head, spreading like wildfire. Marinette rubbed her eyes and steadied herself on her partner's arm.

 

Chat noticed immediately. “My Lady?” he wrapped his arm around her to further support her. “What's wrong?”

 

“Why does my head hurt so badly?” Marinette covered her eyes, pressing her palms into her eyelids hard enough to cause bright spots in her vision.

 

“I don't know.” Chat Noir shook his head. “Do you need a lift out of here?” Baton at the ready, Chat waited for her response.

 

“I need…” Marinette paused. Reporters were starting to notice something was wrong. Instead of asking questions about their victory, questions turned to potential injury, concern and more loud noises that were lost on her. “I need to get away.” She went for her hip and flung herself away from the crowd. She managed to make it a city block before dropping onto the rooftop of an apartment building.

 

Chat Noir was quick to follow her, preventing Marinette from dropping her transformation and asking Tikki what happened.

 

“My Lady?” Chat crouched down next to her.

 

“It’s so bright. I can’t see anything!” Panic set in Marinette’s voice. The bright sun was too much and she kept pressing her hands over her eyes in hopes to blot out all of the light. “It feels like I’m spinning.”

 

Two cold hands rest on her shoulders. “Ladybug, can you look at me and tell me what you see?” She could tell Chat was worried. His hands guided her own down to her lap. “Open your eyes.”

 

Marinette scrunched her face when her hands moved. The light suddenly invading didn’t feel as harsh. Slowly, she opened her eyes. “I just see your face.” Nothing was spectacular or different. “Black mask, cat ears,” Marinette squinted. “Light hair. Something is different.” She reached out and touched the edge of his mask.

 

Chat did not recoil at her touch. He simply nodded. “My Lady, I think you met your soulmate.”

 

“Wh-what!?” Marinette stumbled back. “But, I’ve seen you before? I’ve looked you in the face before!”

 

Chat laughed. “Not me, my Lady. I met my soulmate a long time ago. The same thing happened to me. My head hurt a lot and I couldn’t see anything and then there was a little pop of color, then everything was colored. What looked different?”

 

Part of her heart sank. If Chat Noir wasn’t her soulmate, then anyone who was there today could have been. It wasn’t always instantaneous, she knew that. Sometimes it takes a few minutes. They could be anywhere. Anyone. Marinette curled her legs up to her chest. Defeated, she looked back up at Chat. “Your eyes.” The color had started to bleed through into everything.

 

“Green.” Chat moved to sit next to her. “I’m sure you’ll find them.” He placed a hand on her back, rubbing small circles. “Someone is bound to say they met their soulmate at the Eiffel Tower today.”

 

_Beep beep._ The pair of Miraculous chimed off at the same time, indicating the need to get out. Chat Noir stood up first, offering a hand out to Marinette.

 

“No, I’m just going to stay here for a little bit.”

 

“Alright, Ladybug. If you need anything, find me.” Chat Noir left with a bow.

 

She watched him leap from rooftop to rooftop until he was too far to see anymore. Sighing, her transformation dropped.

 

“Marinette! Are you okay?” Tikki hovered inches from her face.

 

“I’m okay. Just…” Her voice trailed off, unsure how to complete her thought. “Let’s go home.” She stood up and opened her purse for Tikki.

 

“You mean?” Tikki’s wide eyes looked even bigger.

 

Looking up to the open blue sky, Marinette’s heart did a quick turn from sad to happy and hopeful. “Yeah, I’m not giving you up.” Marinette smiled. It felt good to say that, better than she thought it would. She was important. She was needed. She was Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much, i'm really liking how the story is developing and i can't wait for all the plot twists to come snapping rhythmically out of alley ways.  
> thank you so much for leaving comments, they seriously make my day!<3  
> @kissinggfish on tumblr


	6. What His Heart Wants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He has a soulmate. Why can't Adrien stop thinking about his superhero partner?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like, a week late for the anniversary of miraculous ladybug. but, this is my contribution?

It had been nearly two weeks since he met Ladybug. Each day, he asked Plagg to tell him more about her and each day, and each day Plagg’s answers become sassier. Yesterday, Plagg had downright refused to talk to him. He even went as far as to hide in the garbage can all day.

 

“Do I know her in real life?”

 

“Of course, you blithering idiot.”

 

“Really!” That was the furthest he had gotten from him.

 

“You know her as Ladybug. I am not a fictional life, Adrien.”

 

Two quick knocks on the door stopped Adrien from retorting. “Adrien, get dressed and come downstairs.” Nathalie opened his door quietly. “Your father has an errand you need to run.”

 

Adrien rolled his eyes. His father always wanted him for something. It felt like he could never get time for himself. “Just a minute, I have to put shoes on.” He grabbed his shoes and slipped them on hastily.

 

Nathalie did not say another word until the pair of them were comfortably situated in the back of the car. The Gorilla nodded at Nathalie as the car shifted into drive.

 

“Your father is going to be on the video call.” Nathalie pointed to the mounted seat display in front of Adrien. “His call will be arriving in a minute. Fix your hair.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Adrien made a great bravado about shifting the locks of his hair into a more appealing shape. With all the time he killed, the call button flashed and his father sat in front of him. “Father.” He gave a curt smile.

 

“Adrien.” His father wore the same business suit as always, the signature striped tie, the white tailored suit and his glasses. “You have disobeyed me and I cannot tolerate that. So, do you see this middle school?” As his father spoke, Gorilla pulled up against the curb.

 

“Yes, father.” Adrien stared out the window. He could see some of his classmates sitting outside the doors. If only he could be with them and laughing about how annoying an average life was.

 

“Never again will you go. I mean _never again_ , will you go--”

 

“Father, please!” Adrien knew better than to cut him off. Pleading was the best option for him at this point.

 

“--without your bodyguard.” His father finished his sentence as if Adrien hadn’t spoken. “He will drop you off and pick you up every day. Nathalie has graciously offered  to rearrange your schedule to accommodate your new schooling. You will, of course, continue with music, fencing, Chinese and photoshoots.”

 

“Thank you father! Thank you Nathalie!” Adrien looked on in awe at his father’s assistant. Ever since his mother disappeared, Nathalie always felt like a stand in mother. Of course, she wasn’t and could never in a million years replace her, but to a small child, she was almost like a step mother. She took care of him and always had his best interest in mind. Nathalie was there with a bandage and a smile before he knew he scraped his knee. She was undoubtedly Adrien’s favorite of all his father’s employees. Over the years, she grew colder. Adrien turned to thank her, but her head had turned the other way. She was smiling.

“There will be no more discussion.” His father hung up the phone without allowing Adrien to say good bye.

 

Adrien was already flying up the school steps by the time either adult started to move. “I’ll see you after school!” He shouted behind him excitedly.

****

**_~o~_ **

 

Sitting comfortably in their new seats, Marinette and Alya hovered over Alya’s phone, looking at the Ladyblog. Earlier that morning, the girls recapped the events that took place for each of them.

 

Alya had to run from the spot where the car nearly crushed her to the school to get her bicycle. Her phone was nearly out of memory, so she set off to her house to get her back up SIM card and by the time she had biked to the Eiffel Tower, everything was said and done. Reporters were still standing around, looking to the sky. Alya had skimmed from what little anyone would tell her that the duo took off together after it looked like Ladybug had a breakdown. She was halfway into an article theorizing what went down after the fight. Her main theory was Ladybug had gotten hurt when she purified all the butterflies that formed Hawkmoth.

 

Marinette obviously wasn’t going to tell the true story. She told Alya that she was at the Eiffel Tower (no, she did not get pictures or video) and she was shuffled into a huge crowd of pedestrians where she met her soulmate! Marinette was incredibly vague, much to the dismay of Alya. She admitted to not knowing who it was. Her head had started hurting badly and she got out quickly before she realized what had actually happened. Once she understood what happened, the crowd dissipated and she has no idea who her soulmate is. Her parents were understandably upset, but sympathetic to her plight. Alya wanted to launch a full scale investigation and send out missed connections everywhere.

 

“No need, I'm taking care of it.” Marinette had put out a small description of the incident online and has been updating her phone every few minutes. She put it out on every web page dedicated to missed connections.

_Eiffel Tower, migraine type (green); 15; after the second akuma attack. I got caught up in the excitement and I had a severe headache, light hurt and i stepped away from the crowd. When I returned, the crowd, and you, were gone. Please contact me if you have any information ._

 

She read about the other incidents all night. Most people say the color slowly faded in (type a) or suddenly snapped in view like a photograph filter was taken away (type b). A great deal of them describe a blinding white light and then color just existed (type c). A small sprinkle described a severe migraine and a single color (type d). None of them matched locations with her though.

 

Her mother and father were in the majority. They both looked at each other, and it was suddenly there. There was no flashy moment, they just went on with class. As a child, she dreamed of having a meeting like that. Going about your day and then _pop_ everything is different, but so much more amazing.

 

“How did your parents meet?” The long silence between Alya and her broke.

 

“Oh,” Alya pursed her lips. “If I remember right, my mom was camping with her friends and my dad came along, serenading all the pretty girls to sleep with his guitar. He stopped at her campsite and they sang together. During the harmony, they looked at each other and it was the flashy one… type c.”

 

“That's sweet.” Marinette always loved hearing soulmate stories.

 

“You two have the wrong seat.” Chloe marched in with Sabrina in tow.

 

“No. The only thing that lets evil prevail is the inaction of good men.” Marinette smirked triumphantly stumping Chloe.

 

Chloe looked to Sabrina, who shrugged. “Care to explain what that means?”

 

“It means,” Marinette said, reaffirming her words with an aloof, carefree posture. Her confidence was growing. “that I won’t be pushed around by you anymore. And the rest of the class too! So, for starters,” She stood with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at her old seat. “You are going to do me the pleasure of sitting somewhere else.”

 

The whole class erupted in a fit of giggles. Chloe was left speechless. She tried to come up with something snarky to snap back at her, but it was clear Marinette had won. Chloe growled at her and reluctantly took her new seat. At least the gum had been cleaned up.

 

Alya gave her thumbs up and mouthed “Good job.” Marinette celebrated silently with her.

She looked up to see the new boy, Adrien, offering her a small wave and a smile. Without thinking, Marinette rolled her eyes and snapped her head back to look at Alya. She did not have time to deal with bullies. With her plate filled up by akumas now, she was absolutely done dealing with any negative people in her personal life.

 

Nino leaned over near him and she could just make out their conversation. “If you want to make friends, talk to Marinette about the gum.” That again? Absolutely not. Marinette turned to Alya and drowned them out with chatter about how she would be able to help Alya color coordinate since she can see colors now. Her parents didn’t need to help her with the Ladyblog now!

 

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Students slowly passed their papers up to the front and Madame Bustier tapped them against her desk to organize them. With that, conversations quickly dropped and class begun. The entire day passed with little interruption. Chloe still seemed rattled by Marinette.

 

As the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Marinette and Alya went their separate ways.

 

“I have their help my mom with the last few boxes.” Alya beamed. “I'm almost all moved in. You should come over this weekend and we'll celebrate.”

 

“Okay,” Marinette nodded. “I'm going to go home and study a little. That math test is coming too fast.” She pouted. Math was her worst subject and the upcoming test was on polynomial functions.

 

Alya groaned. “Don't remind me.” She waved goodbye and took off down. down the street.

Marinette walked the two blocks and opened the bakery door slowly. “Papa! Do you need any help this afternoon?” Her father was tending to the shelves, adjusting the price stickers and rotating the pastries so their best side was showing.

 

“No, darling. I’ve got it.” He smiled and went back to his task. “Your mother went to the store for dinner.”

 

“Okay. Love you, Papa.” Marinette ran up the stairs once her father’s back was turned. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” She called behind her.

 

“Love you too, pumpkin.”

 

Upstairs, Marinette immediately dove into the websites she had posted to. ColorforSoul had no replies. It was one of the most popular sites. She scrolled past her no reply box and read the newly posted connections.

_Eiffel Tower, 22, saturday night. Type A, fade in. Please contact tina.n.edgewords@gmail.com_

_Mall of America, 40, 10-2. Filter in. I think I saw you with a young child. 952.113.3093_

 

Marinette frowned. America? She scrolled to the top and clicked through to change the filters. She could filter by type as well as location, but Marinette decidedly kept all types, just in case. The website gave her only the Paris soulmates and unfortunately she was finished quickly.

_Outside The Louvre monday morning around 10:30A. I was looking at a Ladybug poster and looked over at you. You were startled and left before I could say anything. 06 78 90 12 34_

 

There were at least forty that came from Disneyland. Marinette scrolled quickly down through those. She read at least twenty more before clicking away and switching to Matched. Thirty minutes and five websites later, Marinette sighed and pushed herself away from her screen.

 

“Tikki, what if I never find him?”

 

“Oh, Marinette, don’t worry about it.” She had been relatively silent throughout her charge’s search. “I’m sure you’ll find them.”

 

“What if I’m defective?” She curled her legs into her chest and rest her chin between her knees.

 

“Defective?” Tikki had no idea what that meant.

 

“When someone has a chip implant and it fails, they see color. It’s always the migraine type and the chip always fails when someone doesn’t have a soulmate. It’s defective, and by association, the person is defective.” Marinette sighed. “Tikki, I want to design clothes. What good is a fashion head who doesn’t have a soulmate? No one will take me seriously as a designer. Everyone will think I’m a fake or a joke who is just trying to copy Gabriel.”

 

“Oh,” Tikki frowned. “Who’s Gabriel?”

 

Marinette clicked through her web browser. “Gabriel Agreste.” Her monitor displayed an older man in a white suit with a striped tie. “The only defective fashion designer. It’s been rumored that he can’t see color, but I believe he is just defective. He met a girl when he was just starting university and he almost immediately changed his major the second he saw color. Gabriel said the flash of blue was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and it inspired him to design clothes. He never found her, but in his last is last year of university, Gabriel met a woman who looked like his soulmate and they got together. A year later, they had a son.

 

“His son, Adrien, met his soulmate when he was, like, six. Adrien and Chloe have been inseparable ever since. I always see her hanging off his arm in public events.” Marinette crinkles her nose. “I used to think he was a decent person in a bad match, but he’s in my class now. Chloe is even worse than before and he just sits there. He even smeared gum on my seat! I’m surprised Chloe even _has_ a soulmate. I am still convinced she doesn’t even have a soul.”

 

Both of them laughed.

**_~o~_ **

 

Adrien had gotten home from a relatively uneventful day at school and immediately dove into doing his homework. Later in the evening, he had a photoshoot for some back to school advertisement. He simply did not have the time to dally and waste time today. That didn't stop him from inquiring about Ladybug though.

 

“Plagg, when will I see her again?” Adrien pokes his kwami, who was napping on top of his history textbook.

 

“See who?” Plagg rolled over, unimpressed.

 

“Ladybug,” he sighed dreamily. All week, she was all he could think about. “I want to see her again.”

 

Sitting up, Plagg laughed. “You realize she’s just like you. She has a regular life. Friends. Family. _School_.” He phased through the mini fridge under Adrien’s desk and came back with a piece of cheese in his paw. “You will see her again when there is another akuma attack. That’s the only time you’ll knowingly see her.”

 

“When will that be?” Adrien perked up. “When is there going to be another akuma?”

 

“You want the city’s destruction… to see a girl.” Plagg rolled his eyes. “Don’t you have a soulmate?”

 

“I-” Adrien couldn’t come up with a good enough retort. Instead, he grumbled and picked up his pencil again.

 

The two sat in silence until Adrien’s phone started to buzz. He swiped left, turning off the alarm. Adrien turned his focus back to the math problem in front of him. Polynomials were never too hard for him. Public school seemed very easy to him, but his private tutors definitely helped.

 

“Is that important?” Plagg floated by his hand. “Don’t you have a photo shoot to get ready for right now?”-

 

Adrien rolled his eyes. “Yeah.” He set down his pencil and threw on his shoes.

 

Downstairs, Nathalie was waiting for him at the door. “You’re late.” She comments, holding the door open for him.

 

Adrien said nothing. He sat in the car silently and watched the rooftops pass as they drove for twenty minutes. The Gorilla never played music, he never spoke, and he was never any fun. All car rides were incredibly boring. Nathalie had her tablet in her lap, typing what was probably an email. She wasn’t much conversation either. He pulled out his phone and texted Chloe. She was always up for conversation.

 

Adrien: _Hey, what’s up?_

 

At the studio, make up artists fussed over his contours and the bags under his eyes. He nodded and made small talk with the hair stylist, but none of it was absorbed. By the time the cameras were ready for Adrien, there had been no reply. He frowned and followed the director.

 

Hours go by. Adrien can think of nothing but how he would rather be outside, transformed into Chat Noir and fighting side by side with Ladybug. He strained his ears to hear a scream, perhaps the swish as Ladybug flew past the building. During his break, he frantically refreshed news sites, hoping for something, _anything_ , that would need Ladybug and Chat Noir. He barely even noticed Chloe hadn’t texted him back.

 

Still, Adrien smiled for the camera and held the strange props. He sat perfectly still in the desk chair, took fake notes and read the fake book in front of him. Towards the end, he felt more like a rag doll than a human being.

 

“I’m going to walk home.” Adrien said abruptly. “My friend lives nearby, I am going to borrow his textbook and then walk myself home.” A lie.

 

The Gorilla and Nathalie exchange a look. They knew Gabriel would not appreciate this. Adrien knew that his father would not appreciate this.

 

“I’m not asking permission,” Adrien held firm. “I have my phone,” he took it out of his jacket pocket and waved it around. “I’ll text if I’m lost.” He shoved his phone back into his pocket and walked out of the studio.

 

Having no other choice, Gorilla started up the car and drove off without his usual passenger.

 

It felt… exciting. Adrien stood up to the norm and won. Smiling, he ran to a dark alley, pulling Plagg out of his coat pocket.

 

“Look at you, kid. You're finally acting like a teenager.” Plagg hovered a few inches from his face. “So, what's the plan?”

 

Adrien beamed at his idea. “I'm going to find Ladybug.”

 

“How are you going to do that?”

 

“Plagg! Transform me!” If what would draw her out is an akuma, then perhaps seeing Chat Noir would have the same effect. His kwami rolled his eyes as he was sucked into his ring. The transformation took a few seconds, and Chat Noir lept up to the roof.

 

It felt freeing. He had immediately fallen in love with how the wind whipped his hair around and the crisp air. Chat Noir crouched on the building's edge, surveying the city. If he were Ladybug, where would he be? That question was harder than he thought. Ladybug was practically a stranger.  Even still, Chat opted for his original plan and vaulted from roof to roof. He quickly gained ground and was in the heart of the city in moments.

 

“Are you after someone or just on the prowl?” Chat stopped and turned around. Ladybug stood behind him, arms folded across her chest.

 

“Only after you, My Lady.” He purred.

 

“You have a soulmate.” She reminds him. Ladybug smiles though.

 

“Who isn't nearly as gorgeous as you.” Her laughter made Chat smile.

 

Ladybug walked closer. “You have no reason to be Chat Noir right now.”

 

“And you have no reason to be Ladybug.” Chat Noir leaned against her, resting his arm on her shoulder to support him. “Yet here we are.”

 

“I saw you, and thought there was trouble.” Ladybug rolled her eyes and moved away. “But, if all is clear, I think I'll be off.” She detaches her yo-yo from her hip and gives Chat Noir a two fingered salute before flying off.

 

“My Lady!” Chat vaulted after her. “Who is to say I didn't want to talk?”

 

He catches up to her on a building overlooking the Seine. Ladybug had stopped for him.

 

“About what?” Her question hangs for a moment.

 

“What happened last time. Are you okay?” Chat reaches out to her. His gloved hand brushes against the material of her suit before stopping. “My Lady?” Her shoulders shook, silently trembling in the warm autumn air.

 

She was crying. Ladybug tried to  keep a straight face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Occasionally she would wipe tears away on her arm.

 

Physical boundaries be damned. Chat enveloped his Lady in his arms, holding her close. “It's okay,” he hushed her, forming small circles on her back. “I'm here for you.”

 

Ladybug was shorter than him, just enough that her face buried in his neck as she hugged back. “What if I'm defective?” Her muffled voice was sniffly. “What if I have no soulmate?”

 

Chat’s heart shattered. Of course she has a soulmate. They had to be somewhere. “You couldn't possibly be. Who wouldn't love you?” His grip tightened around her shoulders.

 

Her grip tightened. “Chat, I don't want to be defective.”

 

Chat held her at an arm's length. “You listen to me. You are not defective. Someone out there is your soulmate. Maybe it didn't take for them because you have a mask. That happens, you know. I met someone who was best friends with their soulmate, but never knew because they met online and hadn't properly seen each other's face.” That was a lie. He hadn't met many people in general, but Chat knew that kind of thing happened. “A mask would stop them from seeing you as you truly are.”

 

Ladybug sniffled and nodded. “Yeah, I guess you're right…” She hugged him again. “I'm just afraid they’ll never find me.”

 

Chat Noir smiles, accepting her hug. “It's okay to be afraid.” He dared to kiss her forehead. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. “Everything will work out.”

 

“But, what if it doesn’t?”

 

“I promise, it will. I’ll personally ask everyone in Paris if that’s what it takes.” Chat smiles.

 

“Thank you, Chat.” Ladybug pushes him off. She wiped her nose on the back of her hand and returns his smile. “You’re so nice, your soulmate is lucky to have you.”

 

“Yeah,” Chat thought to his silent phone. Chloe was nice, to him. From what he had seen from his limited time at public school, Chloe was, in short, a bully. She was rude and disrespectful to their teacher, their classmates view her as an oppressor. From what he can see, she only has one friend, who is constantly pushed around by her.

 

Silence hangs between them, neither knowing what to say. The city was peaceful, people mingled below and a soft murmur filled the air. Ladybug was the first to take a seat, gently patting the space next to her for Chat Noir.

 

“It’s beautiful.” Ladybug smiles. She points to the people below. “They trust us. I’m just a kid. But, I’m honestly happy I accepted this.”

 

“What do you mean?” Chat sits next to her and follows her hand.

 

“I almost gave up my Miraculous the first day.” Ladybug points to the stadium. “I didn’t think I could do anything right, I’m so clumsy and I stutter and when you think of a superhero, you don’t think of me.” She smiles. “But, you believed in me. You told me I could do anything. And I did it. We did it. We saved Paris and now they love us.”

 

“I was eager when I met my kwami. I didn’t listen to any rules,” Chat scratched his neck.

 

“Is that why you were so reckless?” Ladybug bumps her shoulder into his and laughs.

 

“Hey!” He squaked. “I am not. I’m just a teenage boy!”

 

They talked most of the evening away, learning more about each other. Chat Noir was a little careless with his information, Ladybug’s responses were cool and calculated, careful to not give away anything. They bid each other goodnight and they went separate ways. Ladybug said she would see him next week.

 

At home, Adrien lay in bed, dreaming of when next week rolls around. Plagg was disgusted. He has a soulmate.

 

**_~o~_ **

 

“Hey, Ladybug.” Chat stops short, toes kissing the rain gutter of the building.

 

Ladybug turns to look at him. He still couldn’t get over how beautiful her eyes were. “What’s the matter, Chat?”

 

“Do you think…” He stopped. “Nevermind. It’s nothing.” His baton sent him flying to the next rooftop. It was her idea, to patrol the city on the weekends. Chat had, of course, agreed wholeheartedly to see her more often.

 

“Chat Noir.” Ladybug sped after him and caught his ankle before he could get too far away. “I’m not moving until you tell me what’s wrong.”

 

He shrank his baton and clipped it to the small of his back. “It’s just,” Chat leaned against the chimney, starting to untangle his leg from her yo-yo. “I can’t stop thinking about something my kwami said.”

 

Ladybug stood next to him. “What did he say?”

 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir… They’re always, well… they’re always soulmates.” He couldn’t look at her. Chat felt like his face was on fire. “And… I can’t stop thinking about your…” Was this actually happening? All his focus went to his foot.

 

“Chat, I know you already have a soulmate.” Her hand rested on his knee. Chat knew she was smiling. It was heartbreaking. “Ladybug and Chat Noir are always best friends. Sometimes, that means they are also soulmates. We just aren’t. I know that.”

 

“My lady, you don’t get it.” Chat frowned, finally freeing his ankle.

 

“What’s not to get?” Ladybug looked out to the city. “I don’t have a soulmate. I’m defective.” It had been months since she could see color, only a few weeks since Chat last held her in his arms while she cried. Chat knew it bothered her, even if she never actually said it.

 

“I don’t think you’re defective. My soulmate is the opposite of anyone I would ever want to be with. She’s a horrible bully.” Chat shifts into a more comfortable position, legs stretching out in front of him.

 

Ladybug sits down a few feet from him, copying his posture. “Chat,” Her red hand reaches out. “People can change. I think you might want to talk to your soulmate. Maybe she's just misunderstood, or can’t express herself.”

 

“Maybe,” Chat frowns. “I still wish we were soulmates. That would make you happy.”

 

“About what?” Her laugh was melodic. If he could, Chat would record it and listen to it forever. “I’d have a leather-wearing, pun-spewing, flirtatious cat to deal with.”

 

“My Lady!” Chat mocked offense, pressing a hand to his chest and leaning away. “I thought you liked my charm.”

 

She rolled her eyes. That beautiful bluebell color was his favorite. “Yeah, right.” Standing up, she offered her hand to him. “Let’s get this over with. I have a test to study for.”

 

Chat takes her hand, pulling himself up and pulling her closer. “Are you sure you don’t want to take things slow?”

 

Ladybug pulls her hand away and pushes his face away from hers. “Down, kitty.” Her yo-yo zips into her hand. “You have a soulmate.” She threw her yo-yo across the city and flung herself away from the building.

 

Unclipping the baton from his back once more, Chat vaulted across rooftops. It was easier to keep up with Ladybug than he thought it would be. The night went on with no sign of Hawkmoth, just like all the other patrols. They bid goodbye at the top of the Musee d’Orsay, promising to meet up again in a week. Chat Noir watched Ladybug zip towards her home, always tempted to follow her.

 

He began walking home, taking the long route across the Pont des Arts instead of walking straight until the Pont au Change. Chat Noir stopped and looked at several padlocks lining the bridge. Maybe this wasn’t the best route home. _Eiffel Tower 2015 W+A <3_. _Grade 10 E+K_. _Friends forever G+P_. _J+W_. _G+F 4ever_. _M+E_. He knocked his baton against the locks as he walked. The clanking was hollow and unsatisfying. Chat Noir turned around, hoping Ladybug was still visible. She wasn’t.

 

Chloe always hated the Pont des Arts. She said it was stupid, pathetic and people just wanted to brag about their love. Adrien agreed, because he knew nothing else. His father refused to tell him anything about the proper way to act in public. He thought it was rude to ask if someone could see color, so he never asked Nathalie or Gorilla. In public, people didn’t seem to make a big deal about seeing the blue sky or noting the color of their friend’s shirt complimented their eyes.

 

He found himself standing outside Le Grand Paris half an hour later. Chloe’s light was on. Chat extended his baton and tapped on her window. She came to the window, opening it quickly.

 

“Chat Noir?” Chloe’s voice was a mix of shock and disgust. “What are you doing here!?”

 

Almost at a loss for words, Chat sat on the window sill. “Have you ever been in love?”

 

“Of course not!” Chloe crinkled her nose. “No one is worthy of my love.”

 

He recoiled. “Don't you have a soulmate?”

 

Chloe’s laughter felt like she was tunneling to his heart and crushing it with a plastic fork. “Adrien? He's so dreamy, but _not_ my soul mate.”

 

Without prompting, Chloe moved away from the window, allowing Chat to come inside. He stood uncomfortably in a room he has practically lived in.

 

“Adrien is just some poor defective model.” Chloe rolled her eyes and pointed to a timeline of photographs on her wall. “We met when we were younger and he started to see color after some stupid Christmas play at my elementary school. Adrien’s help thought it was me, and I already knew the shame brought by defects, so I just nodded along.” Both of them followed the photos, watching them grow up. This timeline was her birthday present from Adrien last year.

 

She picked up the most recent one, an advertisement for a special fragrance that reacted with an individual's chips. The fragrance was multi-faceted, smelling different to each person based on what the individual liked. Adrien smelled vanilla and cinnamon. Chloe said she smelled spearmint and rubbing alcohol.

 

“I felt bad for him.” Chloe picks at the seam of the frame. “I still do.”

 

“Why?”

 

“His father is a defect, and his mother is dead. My daddy told me to always be kind and think of others. I made a split second decision to say I started to see color too, to save the Agreste name the shame that comes from another defect.” Chloe puts down the photograph. “I’m starting to think I’m the defect though. Adrien is happy and he can see colors and…” She slumps down in a chair. “I’m stuck where I’ve always been. I’ve been trying to find her, his real soulmate, but no one is looking for their soulmate from ten years ago.”

 

Chat Noir pads up behind her as she clicks on a website in her bookmarked tab.

 

“I can’t ask him his type either, that would make me suspicious.” Chloe begins a filter, cycling out all the new ones, by age and location. “No one comes close, except this one.” Chloe hovers over the description.

 

_Eiffel Tower, migraine type (green); 15; after the second akuma attack. I got caught up in the excitement and I had a severe headache, light hurt and i stepped away from the crowd. When I returned, the crowd, and you, were gone. Please contact me if you have any information._

 

“But, that was months ago.” Chat frowns. It almost sounded like Ladybug?

 

“Yeah, but Adrien’s eyes are green. Seeing green is very uncommon as a first color.” Chloe explains. “You probably don’t know this, but the first color most types see is the color of their soulmate’s eyes, unless you’re a Type A, then you just get it all. Whoever this girl is, she isn’t his soulmate, but she’s the only one who saw green.” She sighs and adds, “Who is around his age.” She clicks on another description.

 

_Florence Khan Bakery, 39, migraine type. It was busy and we bumped into each other. I saw green leaves! +33 1 48 87 92 85_

 

“Do you see color?” Chloe looked up at him.

 

How does he proceed? Chat looked down at her, taking in her blue eyes. “Yes,” It was time for him to be leaving, it was getting late. Chat walked back towards the window, sitting on the edge before looking back at Chloe.

 

She looked disappointed, almost sad, before looking away from him. “What color are my eyes?”

  
Chat Noir hesitates. This was the girl who has lied to him, manipulated him and used him for nearly ten years. “Blue.” He jumped out the window and landed on all fours at the street corner. Chat ran all the way home, where he used his baton to extend up to his window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> your predictions might be true? who knew? the true pairing is obvs adriennette, chloe is obvs a liar.  
> a huge thank you to everyone who sends kudos, comments and i was super happy that I was put in a rec!  
> @kissinggfish on tumblr, come love me  
> ALSO! I'm now a mod @miraculous-ladybug !!!!!!  
> love you all <3


	7. Apathie and Ignorance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timing is everything and neither of them seem to have a watch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me @me why can't you update when you say you will ^^;;;;;; pls forgive me

He had started talking to the open air the second he got home. Anything he remembered from that night came out. The truth had come out and he felt betrayed. Adrien had remembered the drive there, it was boring and his father told him to behave. The Christmas tree was loved and beautiful and black and white. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying harder to remember the right order.

 

He remembered running off after seeing Chloe. His head hurt. Adrien impatiently tapped his thumb against the spacebar, not hard enough to type, but enough to make an irritating clicking noise. Nine years of lies, nine years of spending time with Chloe, nine years of unknowingly feeding her ego.

 

His head hurt. Chloe’s words echoed back to him.  _ “The first color most types see is the color of their soulmate’s eyes.” _ What color did he see? The bathroom stall he sat in for hours was… Unknown. Adrien couldn’t form a solid memory of the specific color until he had gotten home from that night.

 

“Nathalie!” Adrien opened his door. “Come up here please!”

 

His father’s assistant had arrived moments later. “Yes, Adrien?”

 

“When I first started seeing color, did I say what I saw first?” Adrien was desperate. Nathalie probably didn’t know. She couldn’t help him.

 

“You asked about the color of your sweater, that was what you saw first.” Nathalie raised her eyebrows. “Is everything okay?”

 

“What color was it?” Adrien snapped.

 

“I don’t remember, sir.”

 

“Oh,” he slumped in his chair. “Thanks anyways.”

 

Nathalie closes the door, saying nothing more.

 

Pointless. It was pointless. Who else could have been his soulmate? Adrien ran through all the possibilities. Out of all the kids he met that night, he knew three. Kim, Nino and Chloe. None of them were his soulmate.

 

There was a beat. “Am I defective?” Adrien’s question hung in the silence between him and Plagg.

 

Adrien had fallen asleep at his desk, his monitor lit up at a website full of soulmate missed connections. Statistically, he would find his soulmate here, provided he wasn’t a defective loser. The most people with missed connections, as Adrien had read from their homepage, came to their website. Rules weren’t listed for how to post an ad, but most people followed a general guideline: age, date, location, type/color and how to contact. He felt self-conscious, applying for an account. He felt even more so after clicking on the Paris location and scrolling through people who recently started seeing color. All the entries were so recent… There was no way he could find his soulmate.

 

Sometime in the night, he decided he wouldn’t confront Chloe about his newfound discovery. Adrien didn’t know about Chloe’s secret. Chat Noir did.

 

Getting ready for school was more measured and calculated than he remembered. Did this shade of green go with this shade of blue? Was this too bright? Can he pull off wearing a ninety euro shirt to public school? Is the logo too flashy? Adrien threw shirt after shirt into a pile on his bed. He eventually landed on a casual t-shirt (it wasn’t casual, it retailed for nearly sixty euros) and a worn pair of jeans (retailed for almost two hundred euros).

 

After twenty minutes of tugging at the one piece of hair that never really wants to stay flat, there was a sharp knock at his bedroom door. 

 

“Adrien, it’s time to leave for school.” Nathalie’s cool and collected voice said nothing more. He could hear the clacking of her heels on the tiled floor as she walked away.

 

**_~o~_ **

 

Every day, she wakes up and opens her phone to an app that is geared towards people who just found out they can see color. Every day, the app generates six colors and you sort it between reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues and purples. After nine years, Chloe was almost an expert. The reds and oranges were hardest to differentiate. But then again, everything was hard to differentiate.

 

Chloe passed today’s six generated colors, barely. The blue and the green were almost the same. The app called them turquoise and spring green. Scowling, Chloe picked out her favorite shirt and cardigan. Missing colors always dampened her mood.

 

“Jean!” She shouted through her closed door. “Jean! Where are my white pumps!” She flung open the door of her bedroom to find a well dressed man standing in front of her door, holding her white pumps by the thin ankle strap. “Finally!” Chloe huffed, snatching them out of Jean’s hands without another word. 

 

_ Sabrina: be careful on your way to school, there is an akuma near college de paris _

 

Chloe sneered at her phone. There was nothing to worry about, Chloe literally lived half a block away from the school. She is almost never caught up in akuma attacks. College de Paris was nearly five large city blocks away.

 

_ Chloe: I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. _

 

Chloe snaps her phone shut and slips it in her purse, strutting out of her room. “Jean, is the car ready?” Her fingers tap against the concierge desk, irritated as he shakes his head. “I always leave at seven on school days! Why isn’t the car ready?”

 

“The akuma attack, miss.” Jean did not look up at the blonde as he spoke. “It is blocking all traffic in a six block radius. Police are waiting for Ladybug and Chat Noir to arrive.”

 

“No.” Chloe shook her head. “I cannot be late to school.” She raised her eyes expectantly at Jean, who simply shrugged.

 

“Then walk, Miss Bourgeois.”

 

“My father  _ will _ hear about this!” Chloe slammed the door shut, dialing as she stomped up the street, completely oblivious to the people slumped around her. 

 

**_~o~_ **

 

Color was intriguing, and she had soaked up all knowledge about it like a sponge. She loved colors, but hated the circumstance. Her room was pink and she hated that she knew that. Alya’s hair was auburn. Her Ladybug costume was red with black spots. Her eyes were blue. Chat Noir’s eyes were green.

 

Marinette was, in short, just trying to ignore the questions that kept popping up. She hasn’t told anybody at school, save for Alya. She was ashamed of what she was. Chloe would have a field day if she caught wind of her enemy’s new situation. All her life, Marinette looked forward to meeting her soulmate and learning all the colors. Now that she can see them and she can’t stop thinking about how she doesn’t have a soulmate.

 

Defective people were not commonplace. Statistics show that one in nearly ten million people were defective. In Paris, that meant less than ten people. In the entire world, there was seven hundred people. As the years went on, the number grew smaller. Technology was advancing faster with every passing year. The chips were 99.99999% effective in this day and age.

 

Sighing, Marinette leaned back and flopped onto her back. Her browser was open to the one soulmate site she hasn’t cancelled her subscription to. She has all but given up on searching the internet for her soulmate. They don’t exist.

 

Tikki rest a tiny paw on her hand. “Oh, Marinette. Did you not listen to Chat Noir? Chat Noir and Ladybug are supposed to be soulmates.”

 

“No,” her voice was hoarse. Marinette wouldn't admit it, but she had been crying. “He already has a soulmate. It’s not me.”

 

“Oh,” Tikki’s voice deflated. “But, Master Fu said…”

 

“Said what? This kind of thing happens, Tikki. I just have to get over it.” Marinette snapped at her Kwami. No matter what she said next, it would only make things worse. Being defective at a young age was hard. She would rather be the kind of defective that never got to see color. She would much rather seeing color  _ and  _ have a soulmate.

 

Tikki shied away and busied herself with crumbs from a cookie. Her Chosen slumped over, covering her face with a pillow. Even if she didn’t know Marinette for long, Tikki understood she needed to be left alone. The small Kwami settled down on the corner of her pillow for the night.

 

As the sun rose the next morning, so did Marinette. She didn’t sleep well last night. Every time she fell asleep, she would wake up from a nightmare. Sometimes, it was an akuma who succeeded and all Marinette could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines, and other times, her nightmares were more intimate. Her classmates finding out about her secret or even her soulmate, or lack thereof.

 

“Morning, Papa.” Marinette stifled a yawn as she started downstairs. Her father was always up at this hour, baking fresh bread for the bakery. “Need any help?”

 

“Don’t you mean,  _ knead  _ any help?” He smiled and tossed her an apron.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes and laughed. One constant pun maker was enough in her life, and her father had claimed that position long before she met Chat Noir. She pulled her apron off the rack and tied in the front, wrapping around her frame once. It hung just above her knees, when she was younger, she used to swim in this.

 

“But seriously, would you mind helping me frost?” He held up a bag of red frosting. “I want to make Ladybug and Chat Noir inspired cookies, and I figured who better to help me than my wonderful daughter.”

 

Marinette tensed, tentatively grabbing the frosting bag. “Uh, sure. What design did you have in mind?” The cookies in front of them were fresh out of the oven, just barely cool enough to start frosting. They were all circular, so her father was most likely depending on a design to sell as Ladybug or Chat Noir themed.

 

“Well,” her father shrugged. “I’ve only seen them a couple of times. I was hoping you'd have some ideas?”

 

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Why would I have any ideas?!” Does her father know her secret? Did he catch her sneaking more cookies for Tikki? Did he recognize her when she fought the akuma outside the bakery last week?

 

“Doesn't your friend, Alya, run a blog dedicated for them?” Tom, if he saw his daughter's panic, said nothing.

 

“Oh, yeah. I'm going to grab my sketchbook really quick!” Marinette smiled, backing up slowly. She retreated up the stairs and grabbed the phone charging on her bed and a sketch pad.

 

“Marinette, what if you made a bell for Chat Noir?” Her father smiled at his idea. “Or made their masks?”

 

She laughed. “That would be cool, but they have symbols!” Marinette unlocked her phone and went to the Ladyblog icon on her phone. She sketched a quick icon and turned it around to show her father. There was nothing fancy, just a plain circle with five dots in the middle and a line running through the center dot. Marinette decided that would be her signature, to keep people from identifying her by comparing handwriting.

 

She might be paranoid.

 

“That’s a good one. What about for Chat Noir?”

 

“His cat paw?” Marinette drew another rough sketch beside her Ladybug one. “Use red for her background and black for the dots. For Chat Noir’s, use a black background and a lime green for the paw.”

 

“Sounds perfect.” Her father passed the bag of red frosting back to her. “I’ll let you do the details. I’ll get a head start on the backgrounds.”

 

Marinette smiled and nodded. “I’ll mix a good green too.” She walked past her father and grabbed the bowl of white frosting and rows of food coloring.

 

When she was younger, Marinette loved to help color the cookies, often picking random ones for her parents to mix. This resulted in some seriously questionable brown frosting. Her mother took it upon herself to teach Marinette what colors mixed into what other color and how to tell if it was a good color. She also used a labelmaker to identify each colored bottle. She felt nostalgia as she picked at the green label. Dropping the green coloring into the white frosting, she mixed slowly, adding more until it produced the nice lime green of her partner’s ring. For show, Marinette held a picture of Chat Noir up to the frosting. She hadn’t memorized his appearance and his eye color certainly didn't haunt her dreams.

 

“Looks good, sweetie.” Her father looked over her shoulder, jolting Marinette out of her trance. “Let’s get these done.”

 

Marinette nodded, determination set in as she frosted the Ladybug cookies first. Each dot was precise, ending with the tiniest swirl as she pulled up on the bag, moving onto the next dot. She moved in the same fashion, starting in the top left, moving clockwise to create the four outer dots before centering the last dot between all of them. Marinette decided against creating a line down the center, opting for the simpler design. Sooner than she realizes, Marinette has run out of red frosted cookies and almost smeared a black dot across a designated Chat Noir cookie in her monotonous cookie frosting.

 

Her pick for Chat’s cookie is not as monotonous as her own. Chat Noir’s paw print formed quickly after a few test runs. First, she circles around to make four ovals in a row, the middle two raised a touch higher and just slightly larger. The largest pad was harder for Marinette to get down, some turning out more unformed blob than a cat paw. With bits of tweaking, Marinette managed to get most of the pads to look identical.

 

It must have been an hour later when she finally took a step back. Marinette shifted her weight to one hip, admiring her work. Her father placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Great job,  _ ma cherie _ .”

 

“Thank you, Papa.” She set the empty frosting bag on the counter. “I have to get ready for school now.” Marinette came up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “This was a good distraction. Thank you.” She bound up the blue carpeted steps before her father could get in another word.

 

She dressed herself quickly, knowing if she dawdled too much, she would be rushing to make it to class on time. Tikki had been silent since last night, residing in her purse for the better part of the morning. Marinette knew she should apologize for snapping at her, but all it felt like was salt in the wound.

 

Walking out the front door moments later, Marinette could tell immediately something was wrong. The usual motors weren’t running, car horns didn’t blare and pedestrians were nonexistent. She placed a protective hand over the metal clasp of Tikki’s purse, ready to duck into an alley at the first sign of danger.

 

And danger there was. Marinette turned the corner and was struck by an image that will haunt her for years. People strewn about, laying face down and not moving. Her blue eyes scanned the street, praying to see movement. Not one body twitched. A gasp caught in her throat, almost too afraid to check the closest body.

 

Steeling herself for the worst, Marinette crouches down by a petite woman laying on her side. The woman wore a dark blue pantsuit, a cell phone in her hand and a cup of coffee spilled around her. Her eyes were closed, almost like she was sleeping. Marinette swallowed her fear and pressed her own hand against the exposed neck of the woman in front of her. Aside from being cold as ice, there was a heartbeat. To further confirm, Marinette held a compact mirror in front of her nose and mouth. The mirror fogged with the warm exhalation. 

 

Marinette walked around and checked nearly a dozen people, all of them in the same state of the first woman. They were all unconscious, or simply asleep. “Tikki,” she muttered, ducking into a small alley and opening the purse at her side. “Something is wrong. I think there’s an akuma around.”

 

“Let’s hope they’re easy to capture, you have a chemistry test this morning.” Tikki smiled, hovering above Marinette, waiting for the magic words.

 

“Yeah,” She pursed her lips. “Let’s get this over with. Tikki, transform me.”

 

The surge of power that rushed from her head down to her toes was something Marinette could never get tired of. Her clothes melted away and was replaced by the slick suit. It contoured itself to her body and the mask stayed on no matter how hard something tried to remove it. She felt empowered as she zipped to the rooftop and surveyed the scene.

 

People lay in the street for several city blocks. Every so often, she would see someone walking out of a building, absolutely stunned. Ladybug would touch down in front of them and put a finger to her lips. She still hasn’t seen the akuma causing this.

 

“It’s not safe. Go back inside.” Ladybug left no room for questions, pointing the citizen back inside. No one questioned her, they just nodded and fearfully backed into the safety a building provided. And of course, the one person who decided to be a thorn in her side was the one and only Chloe Bourgeois.

 

“Go back inside.” She urged her classmate.

 

“No!” Chloe was unnecessarily loud. “I have never been late to school. I refuse to be caught up in this mess. Fix it now!” Her blonde hair bounced with each irritated wave of her hands.

 

“Chloe, please, keep your voice down. I don’t know where the akuma is, or how it’s affecting anyone.” Ladybug places a calm hand on Chloe’s arm. “Please, get back inside and wait for me and Chat Noir to handle things.”

 

“Then, you’ll be my escort to school.” Her blonde classmate decided, folding her arms in, waiting. “I’ll be safe, and where I need to be.”

 

Ladybug stood, her mouth half hanging open, about to refute her bully’s words. She snapped shut, nodding. “Okay. I’ll be your escort this morning. Lead the way.” Her sweet smile was enough for Chloe, who must have not noticed her initial apprehension.

 

“Perfect.” Chloe links her arm around Ladybug’s, dragging the super heroine along for the walk around the block.

 

Ladybug watched as people were going about their day, not affected at all by the epidemic up the road. The further away from the bakery, the less signs of an akuma there were. People had, obviously noticed Ladybug on the street. Some stopped her, asking her what was wrong. ‘J-just escorting Miss Bourgeois to class.” She waved and offered a sheepish smile, waving her hands. “No worries.”

 

Chloe took the longest possible route from the hotel to Francoise Dupont. She was late to class, and blamed Ladybug for it. Chloe also asked for an autograph, which Ladybug nearly denied, but hastily scribbled on the book Chloe produced. “Stay safe.” She urged her inside and zipped away the second Chloe’s back turned. It was time to find that akuma.

 

Thanks to the detour, Ladybug headed back the way she came to find the akuma. It was silent, which could mean it was deadly. The more people she found sprawled on the ground, the closer she got, Ladybug rationalized. Yo-yo in hand, Ladybug tried to call Chat Noir. He didn’t answer the first try. Or the second. By the third missed call, Ladybug was convinced he had been caught by the akuma and was now a lifeless lump on the concrete.

 

“ _ Sleep… _ ” A soft whisper drifted across the bodies. “ _ Just lay down… It’s so easy to just… Sleep… _ ” 

 

Ladybug whipped around just in time to see a figure standing behind her, a solid mass of grey poised to throw. She leapt back in the nick of time, feeling the rush of air pass by as the akuma made her first strike. The akuma huffed, and held it’s weapon close.

 

The akuma glared, walking forward slowly. She was less elaborate than previous akumas, dressed in a fluffy grey dress and a black belt wrapped around her. Her skin was a shade of grey and her hair seemed to float around her, like she was underwater. In her arms, a grey pillow found its home. A swath of dripping black liquid rested where her eyes should be. The akuma pressed forward, stepping carefully over her victims.

 

“ _ I just want… to sleep… _ ” Her voice was raspy and barely audible. “ _ Sleep… with me… Ladybug… _ ” Raising her arm once more, the akuma clutched a corner of her pillow and swung wildly. “ _ Where is… your miraculous… Ladybug? _ ”

 

Ladybug backed up, careful not to trip over the bodies. She wasn’t sure if this akuma could see her since her eyes were covered. Cautiously, Ladybug swung herself onto a light post and watched the akuma sink to her knees. She gave Chat Noir another call, only to reach the continuous beeping of a line not connected. About to spring back into action and snatch the pillow, which must have been the akumatized object, a low grumble erupted.

 

“ _ No! I don’t need to! _ ” The akuma had the familiar butterfly over her face. “ _ Get out of my head. You’re worse than they are! _ ”

 

“Apathie…” Ladybug furrowed her brow as Hawkmoth’s voice filled the silence. “You  _ will _ capture Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous.”

 

Apathie, the akuma, clutched her head and screamed. Hawkmoth was hurting her? “ _ Ladybug! _ ” Apathie hissed at her, holding her pillow over her ears. “ _ Help me! _ ”

 

Ladybug dropped in front of Apathie, who was immobile, like her victims. “Are you okay?” She crouched next to her, reaching a hand out. “Is he hurting you?” Ladybug barely touched her shoulder and Apathie threw herself back with another head splitting scream. 

 

“ _ Get him out! _ ” Apathie clawed at her own mask. “ _ Get him out! _ ”

 

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug called her special power, realizing Apathie wasn’t going to fight back anymore. She couldn’t get close enough to her without risking her own safety. From the sky came another pillow, similar to the one Apathie held.

 

The plan came too easily. Ladybug charged, quickly switching the two pillows. The fabric of the pillow did not yield to her ripping it in half. She furrowed her brow and tried again, finding the tiniest tear in the case. The sound of ripping fabric ended Apathie’s screaming. The small butterfly fluttered frantically, it’s wing torn. Ladybug quickly purified the akuma and threw her lucky charm into the sky.

 

Ladybugs fluttered around and everyone stirred, coming out of their stupor. Apathie stayed on the ground, sobbing into her hands. Ladybug sat down next to her, holding out her pillow.

 

“Are you okay?” Ladybug rubbed the stranger’s back like her mother did when she was upset. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

 

“I just wanted to finish my project. I didn’t have any motivation. My classmates… They were all so far ahead of me. I wanted them to know how I felt.” She shook her head. “He told me he could help. I just had to get your miraculous. I’m so sorry.”

 

“Do you want me to take you back to your dorm?” She had about five minutes before her miraculous would force her to return to being Marinette.

 

The girl nodded and stood up with Ladybug’s help.

 

“Hold on tight.” Ladybug held the girl close, waiting for her to wrap her arms around her. They swung along the skyline, quickly returning her to the University dorms. “What’s your name?” Ladybug helped her down and inside.

 

“Cecile,” She offered a small smile. “Thank you, Ladybug.”

 

“It’s just my job.” Ladybug smiled. “Don’t let your own lack of motivation get you down. It will come in time, just wait for the right time to strike. Everyone creates in their own time. Don’t be discouraged.”

 

Cecile nodded. “I’m sorry I caused all this.”

 

“Don’t apologize. This was Hawkmoth’s doing.” She heard a quiet beeping in her ear. “I have to go. Keep your head up, Cecile.”

 

Ladybug took her yo-yo and flew across the city, dropping into an alley just as her transformation dropped. Tikki landed in her hands, exhausted.

 

“I’m sorry about last night, Tikki. It’s hard to accept this kind of thing, you know?” Marinette looked down sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

 

Tikki nodded. “I know, Marinette. I apologize for not taking your feelings into account. I was so sure of what Master said, I guess he could be wrong.”

 

“We might be destined to be best friends?” Marinette offered up, laughing. “If he would stop with all the ridiculous puns, we might be able to.”

 

**~o~**

  
  


Nine years ago, Wayzz felt a slight stir in the auras of the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous. They were under Master Fu’s protection, he knew his unease was unfounded. A year ago, he felt the same stirring far away. The peacock holder… Wayzz never bothered to tell his Master about her either. The Miraculous was lost. The holder was as well.

 

Six months ago, Wayzz’s growing unease was confirmed with the cry of his oldest friend.

 

“Master!” Wayzz has been told to never interrupt while he was with a client. This was the first time he ever broke that rule, and his Master would understand.

 

Master Fu rushed his client out, mumbling about how chanting was part of the process. “Wayzz, my dear friend. What is it?”

 

“Master, the Moth Miraculous, I felt it’s cry. Nooroo is in danger!” Wayzz hovered nervously around the room. “I fear the worst has happened. It’s been taken by a dark power.”

 

“I thought it had been lost forever…” Master Fu frowned, rubbing at the grey goatee. “We must find Nooroo and his Miraculous before a great evil falls upon the world.” He hobbled towards the center of the room. “It’s time for me to step out again, Wayzz!” Master Fu started to raise his arms, attempting to kick out a leg. His hip popped out and back in, causing him to cry out.

 

“Master!” Wayzz flew up and hovered by his head. “You’re too old, you need to call upon some help.”

 

“I’m only one hundred and eighty six.” Master Fu almost snapped back. “But, you’re right. I cannot defend Paris alone. We’ll need some help.”

 

On the edge of the room, a plain table stood with healing stones, stacks of papers and an ancient gramophone. The gramophone gave off a powerful aura, dragons lining the edges and a familiar red design. Master Fu pressed on the eyes of the dragons, which released a hatch for him to enter a three button passcode. The top opened, revealing two equally intricate gold plates that split down the center and slid inside the wooden sides.

 

Underneath it all, a large black box with red patterns on it lay. There was nothing extraordinary about the box. Inside, four different pieces of jewelry fit snugly into their designated home within the velvet lining. The foxtail necklace and honeybee comb were ignored for the red and black earrings and the black with with a cat’s paw in the center. Master Fu sighed, plucking the pieces from their home.

 

“Master, there is something I have been keeping from you...” Wayzz begins.

 

**~o~**

 

Adrien requested he be taken in early to school to last minute cram with Nino before their chemistry test. Alya and Marinette were supposed to join them, but they haven’t shown up yet.

 

He couldn’t figure her out, first, it feels like she hates him, then she is nice to him and now she barely speaks to him? Nino jokes about how he is so sheltered and doesn’t understand the finer things in life. Marinette has barely said a word to him since he tried to remove the gum from her chair on his second day of school. She stopped shooting glares at him though. Her features soften and she almost smiles when he catches her in the corner of his eye. Adrien can’t explain what he feels. Are they friends? Just classmates? Since he is Chloe’s soulmate, maybe she just hates him by association. How would Marinette react knowing that Adrien isn’t actually Chloe’s soulmate? Would they be friends?

 

“Hey, man. Is that Ladybug with Chloe?” Nino jabbed his side, jolting Adrien off his train of thought. Sure enough, Ladybug and Chloe were walking side by side, talking animatedly. 

 

Adrien got up to greet them, if Ladybug was transformed, it must mean trouble.

 

“Stay safe.” Ladybug smiles, and she zipped away on her yo-yo without another word.

 

“Hey, Chloe, are you okay? Why did Ladybug escort you to school?” Adrien held her arms, checking her over for any injury. He may no longer be her soulmate, but he still cares about her.

 

“It’s fine. There was an akuma by the University.” Chloe rolled her eyes and beamed. “Who cares though. She’s here for a reason.”

 

Adrien looked behind them as they walked together to the doors. He couldn’t see any destruction in the distance. The ladyblog didn’t even have anything posted about it. 

 

“Adrien!” Chloe snapped, jerking on his arm. “Did you even hear me?”

 

“N-no. Sorry, I was thinking about the chemistry test.” Adrien gave a sheepish smile. With private tutoring most of his life, he already understood the material and could probably teach the section. “What’s up?”

 

“No. Listen to me when I talk to you.” Her scowl was something to be reckoned with. If she ever held a position of power, Adrien would feel bad for her underlings. In theory, she already held a position of power at the school and in her life as the mayor’s daughter. She could clear a room with a few words. She exuded confidence and power. Chloe was, in short, amazing at getting what she wanted.

 

“Sorry, dear.” Adrien ducked his head.

 

They were in class now, he sat on the edge of his seat to be closer to Chloe while she talked about how she was going to color her nails later, but couldn’t decide on a color. The teacher wasn’t there yet, presumably caught up with the akuma. No one minded.

 

“How about doing a peach, to match your cardigan?” Adrien didn’t think it all through. Her cardigan is a bright yellow. Peach is a muted orange.

 

“Oh! Perfect! This is my favorite color. Peach is the perfect color. Thank you Adrikins~” Chloe pulls the edges of her cardigan inward and wraps herself with them.

 

“You’re lying.” Adrien said, a little too loudly. His raised voice caught the attention of several of his classmates. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time. Why couldn’t you have said something YEARS ago?”

 

“A-adrien? I don’t understand?” Chloe fumbled like a fish out of water, her mouth almost opening and closing as she rushes to think of a way out of it. “I’m not lying!”

 

“Yes you are. You can’t see color.” Adrien gestured to Mylene. “What color is her bandana?”

 

The sudden attention had Mylene turning a bright shade of pink, almost matching her bandana. More people were starting to care about their conversation. Adrien was standing up against the queen bee and calling her out. No one dared speak right now.

 

“I- Green?” Chloe shrugged. “Who cares anyway.”

 

“It’s pink. Chloe, you’ve been lying to me. I have a soul mate out there and she probably thinks she’s defective because YOU had to be a bitch and be in the spotlight.” Adrien grimaced. “You don’t even care. You’ve never cared about me.” He picked up his bag and stood up. Chloe was about to say something back, her eyes on fire. “Don’t even try to talk to me.” Adrien left the classroom, all eyes on him.

 

Once he was a safe distance, Adrien pulled Plagg out of his bag. “Transform me.”

 

“No small talk this time?” Plagg rolled his eyes before the magic sucks him into the ring.

 

Chat Noir bursts out of the men’s bathroom window and is across the town towards the University in seconds. His blood is boiling and an akuma fight is the perfect thing to take his mind off things.

 

“Chat Noir!” The female voice caused his attention to snap in her direction. It was just Alya. He landed beside her, his tail flicking in irritation.

 

“What?” He snapped, teeth bared.

 

“What happened? One second, I was filming all the people on the street and the next, I’m waking up in an abandoned alley? What was the akuma like? Did Ladybug have a super cool charm? What color was the akuma?” Her cell phone trained on him, Chat noir was at a loss.

 

“I- I don’t know. Is it over?” Chat frowned. “She must have taken care of things without me.”

 

“Oh...  I should get back to school then. I have a chem test.” Alya put her phone back in her pocket, wrinkling her nose. “I’m terrible at chemistry. I was supposed to meet my friends before class and cram.”

 

“Good luck.” Chat couldn’t provide a smile, only a solemn nod. He pulled out his baton once more and was on the rooftops once again. Chat Noir had no intention of going back to school today. Chloe was too much to handle. Right now, he would rather go face to face with Hawkmoth and a hundred akumas all at once then go back into that classroom.

 

**~o~**

She caught up with Alya, who had just come out of Apathie’s coma and talked to Chat Noir. He was unaware of anything that happened. Alya said he was incredible hostile and distracted. It didn’t sound at all like him, but she said nothing. Their walk to school, talking about how they were missing the chemistry test.

 

To say things were tense when Marinette stumbled in would be the understatement of the year. Everyone’s head snapped to the girls walking in, pencils poised to write an answer. Miss Bustier cleared her throat and handed the both of them the test. Marinette slid into her seat first, taking the pencil Tikki offered from inside her bag. Alya paused at Nino’s side, who was trying to mouth something to her. Miss Bustier cleared her throat again and Alya quickly joined Marinette.

 

Adrien was missing, she noted as she scrawled her name quickly. He would have to make up the test later. Marinette scrunched her nose and her eyes darted around the classroom. Mylene had her tongue peeking out of her lips, deep in thought. Rose and Juleka each had a hand under their table, no doubt taking a moment to hold hands. Juleka was smiling. Sabrina was closed in, further away from Chloe, who had the angriest eyes. She must be upset to not have Adrien in school today.

 

Marinette knew she failed the test when she handed it in. She’ll have to make it up later, she thought, sighing inwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @girlwithribbon on tumblr, thank you SO MUCH for letting me use your akumasona!  
> sorry i literally havent updated in 3 months. things got hectic and then the election happened  
> hmu @kissinggfish on tumblr, love you all


	8. An Odd Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two teens find something in common

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls don't hate for for taking forever to update ;;;3;;; things have been hectic and busy and I'm finally writing again

She failed her chemistry test.  Her paper was passed back to her the following Wednesday with instructions to stay after today to make it up. Alya didn't do too well, but not nearly as bad as Marinette.

 

“I can wait for you to finish and walk home with you?” Alya suggested, poking her side. “Adrien needs to make it up too, so I bet Chloe will be hanging all over him.”

 

Marinette shrugged, looking over at the blonde. She had been much more subdued after Ladybug walked her to school the other day. Chloe hadn't threatened to call her father or called Marinette names, or anyone for that matter. She was beginning to wonder if Apathie’s powers held a lingering effect.

 

Speaking of, Marinette hadn't heard hide nor hare of Chat Noir since Alya reported his ruffled feathers when Apathie ran rampant. Tikki mentioned being able to sense Chat Noir’s kwami at one point… Marinette made a mental note for Tikki to check on him.

 

School runs smoothly for the rest of the day. Chloe makes no interruption outside of a complaint about her chemistry score, which was quickly shut down by Madame Bustier. Alya bids Marinette farewell and good luck on the test.

 

“I'll text if something juicy happens!” Alya waved her phone and ran down the block.

 

Smiling, Marinette walks back to her classroom where Madame Bustier and Adrien are waiting for her. Madame Bustier gives them thirty minutes, exactly how long the rest of the class had, to finish. She sat Marinette in Chloe’s usual seat, which until quite recently was her usual seat. Adrien stayed put in the seat below her regular seat.

 

Marinette tapped her leg impatiently, trying to concentrate on anything relating to chemistry. Which of the following will not dissolve in water? Balance this equation. The nuclear reaction where the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts is known as what?

 

Too soon, Madame Bustier tapped on the desk. “Time is up. Hand in your papers.”

 

Marinette and Adrien stood at the same time, Marinette fumbled for a moment to allow the awkward moment of who goes first to pass.

 

“I will have these graded by the end of the week.” Madame Bustier didn't look up from whatever she was currently grading.

 

Adrien left first, Marinette followed shortly after. It was raining outside, she could hear it from their classroom. She gave a small wave to Adrien and mumbled her goodbye to him before making a detour to her locker to grab her… Alya borrowed her umbrella.

 

At least Marinette only lived a few blocks away.

 

She tucked Tikki safely inside the bag and tightened the zipper on her messenger bag so she didn't get wet. Marinette stood at the edge of the eave, calculating the best route home when she heard footsteps behind her.

 

“Did you forget your umbrella?” Adrien gave a smile and looked out at the dreary weather. “I didn't think it was supposed to rain today, but thankfully my father's assistant made me bring this, just in case.”

 

Marinette nodded, closing her hand around Tikki’s bag, double checking she was safely inside. “Yeah, Alya ended up borrowing mine. We were supposed to walk home together. But I had to… you know.” She trailed off, he obviously knew why she stayed late.

 

“Yeah?” Adrien stood next to her and popped the umbrella open. “Why don't we walk together instead?”

 

Eyes widening, Marinette stuttered. “Uh- I mean- If- uh- are you sure?” 

 

“Of course.” He laughed, a genuine and goofy laugh that made the corners of her mouth pick up. “I'll tell my driver.”

 

Marinette texted Alya in a frenzy, telling her how Adrien, yes that Adrien, offered to walk her home. He was famous and she was in the same class as him! Of course she was nervous. All the tabloids say he is just like his father: quiet, determined and damn near deadly when refused something. Marinette lashed out without thinking the first time they met, the gum incident. She has been walking on eggshells since he apologized. Trying to be friendly worked until Chloe got involved, then she just settled for quiet smiles and staying away. She had to say yes to him, he was Adrien freaking Agreste. 

 

Naturally, Alya gave no reply in the time it took Marinette to text her twenty-three times.

 

“Shall we?” Adrien was at her side again, the car in front of them drove off after a moment. That must have been his driver. “Lead the way, Marinette.” Adrien held his umbrella like a gentleman the whole way to her house. She walked the fragile line between too far away that Adrien got wet and close to Adrien where he felt uncomfortable. She, of course, felt uncomfortable the whole silent walk to the bakery.

 

“Mom, dad, I'm home!” Marinette brought Adrien inside for a moment. Her parents gave no reply from their back work station. “Thanks again, did you want to take-” were models allowed to eat cookies? “uh, something home? To eat?” Marinette kicked off her school shoes and tossed them up the stairs, swapping them for comfortable shoes she wore when helping around the bakery.

 

Adrien lingered in front of the cookies she helped her father frost again this morning. The Ladybug and Chat Noir cookies were quickly a best seller. 

 

“I frosted those this morning, so they're super fresh.” Marinette pointed. “Who is your favorite?”

 

“Well, I love Ladybug. And Chat Noir seems like a cool guy.” Adrien didn't answer. “How much for a dozen?” he started to pull out his wallet. “What about you?”

 

“Uh, five euros.” Marinette tapped buttons on the register with a pen. “Six of each or do you want to mix and match with other ones? And, uh,” She pursed her lips. “I don't know enough about either.”

 

“Six each, please.” Adrien handed her exact change. “I like Chat Noir’s suit. It’s a nice leather look, all black. If my father tried to sell something similar, it would sell well.”

 

“Yeah, it would look really good on you too. Not only would the black really make the green in your eyes pop, but tight leather is nice on anyone with your-- figure.” Marinette froze, was she about to compliment his butt? And did she seriously just tell the model, Adrien Agreste, that? Of course he knew that and now she just admitted to being able to see color to Chloe’s soul mate. Her life was ruined.  “See you tomorrow bye!” She dumped the box of cookies into his arms and practically ran up the stairs.

 

Adrien left the store with his box of cookies. Marinette lived surprisingly close by, only a couple blocks. 

 

Nathalie was not pleased when he came home, but stopped her lecture when Adrien explained he was trying to be a normal teen and make friends. She seemed to understand how hard it was to live under his father’s rule. 

 

“I found some old photos of you and Chloe, I left them on your desk.” Nathalie walked back to her office,  closing the door. 

 

Adrien took his cookies up to his room and set them next to his computer. The pictures Nathalie mentioned were on a flash drive with “Adrien” written in her handwriting.

 

“Your classmate was weird,” Plagg zipped out and sniffed a cookie, wrinkling his nose. “She couldn't seem to focus at all.”

 

“She is kind of weird. I can't figure her out.” Adrien agreed, taking a bite of one of the Ladybug cookies. “I didn't know she had a soulmate..” 

 

Scrolling through the files, Adrien landed on a picture with a bunch of young kids. He clicked it, examining who was in the photo. It was from the night he met Chloe. She was front and center, beaming and holding a nervous Adrien’s hand. The rest of her class was in the background. He vaguely remembers Chloe pulling away from her group picture for one with Adrien.

 

“Kid, I'm telling you,” Plagg stood by Adrien’s hand. “Ladybug is your soulmate. It's how our miraculous works. Two halves of a whole. Peas in a pod. You know?”

 

“But, I saw Chloe when I started seeing color, and I told Ladybug that. Unless you're telling me that Ladybug is one of these kids,” Adrien gestured to the slightly blurry background. “Then she isn't my soulmate. You're a god, knower of all things, but the chips aren't something invented by the creators of the miraculous. There's an algorithm.”

 

“Don't say I didn't tell you.” Plagg rolled his eyes and flew off to his makeshift bed.

 

Adrien clicked on the next picture. His sweater was blue. His soulmate had blue eyes. Chloe has blue eyes. Adrien scrolled through more pictures, landing on the original class photo of Chloe from her Christmas play.

 

He immediately recognized four people: Chloe, Sabrina, Nino and Marinette? He squinted and sure enough, right next to Chloe was a smiling Marinette. Looking closer, Adrien could pick out younger versions of some of his classmates. Kim hadn't change much and neither had Mylene. Most of the kids were strangers.

 

“I should just ask her.” Adrien decided after another thirty minutes of scrolling through pictures. “Chloe isn't my soulmate, obviously. Maybe I can ask Marinette about that night?” he went for his phone and frowned. Her number wasn't in his phone.

 

From the garbage can, Plagg scoffed. “Talk to her? That's hilarious. The girl,can't piece more than a few words together.”

 

“She can too, she's awesome.” Adrien retorts, texting Nino and asking for Marinette’s phone number. “Lots of people have a stutter or speech problems. I'm not judging.”

 

**_Nino:_ ** _ here +33653257 why? _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ i have a couple questions for her _

**_Nino:_ ** _ good luck _

 

**_+33635124:_ ** _ when did you start seeing color?  _

 

Marinette stared at the unknown sender's number. Whoever they were, they were local. Probably not a classmate, she had all their numbers except Chloe and Sabrina. Why would one of them know that information? Unless Adrien already told Chloe her secret!? 

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ who's this? _

 

Her reply was  _ almost _ instantaneous, meaning she wasn't busy. Adrien chastised himself for forgetting she doesn't have his number.

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ it's Adrien, I got your number from Nino. Hope that is okay _

 

Marinette’s heart might have actually stopped beating for a minute. Adrien Agreste texted her. To talk to her. He asked someone for her number. He wanted to talk to her! She sent a flurry of texts to Alya, mostly incoherent before scrolling back to answer Adrien.

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ oh! Totally fine. Why? _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ I didn't know you saw color _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ who is your soulmate? _

**_Marinette:_ ** _...i don't know, I lost him in the excitement /: _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ how long have you seen color? _

**_Marinette:_ ** _ uhhh a few months? _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ why didn't you tell anyone?  _

 

That advertisement online Chloe read must have been hers. Adrien frowned and locked his phone. She must have been embarrassed for being potentially defective. Adrien was safe for years thanks to Chloe’s lie, and for that he was honestly grateful. Growing up as a broken kid is hard. You get to see all your classmates meet their happily ever after and you have to just smile and nod along. In a way, he should thank her for protecting him. No one else came forward saying they saw colors.

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ it's embarrassing, I feel like he is out there. I'm not defective _

**_Marinette:_ ** _ i just can't find him _

**_Adrien:_ ** _ I understand. Do you want me to keep it under wraps? _

**_Marinette:_ ** _ please _

 

Marinette smiled at her phone. “I guess there's no need to be nervous around a phone screen,” She laughed and tucked her phone under her pillow. “Good night Tikki.”

 

Her kwami lay a gentle paw on her chosen's forehead and settled into her own little fabric scrap nest. “Good night, Marinette. I'm proud of you today.”

 

\--------

 

“My Lady,” Chat Noir starts, laying back to stare up at the sky. “I think I found her…”

 

“Who?” Ladybug furrowed her brow, glancing at Chat suspiciously. The duo was perched on the Notre Dame. 

 

“My real soulmate.”

 

“I don't understand,” She sat up. “I thought you said you met her at a very young age.”

 

“I thought so too, but,” Chat turns to look at Ladybug. Her hair was down, fluttering in the light breeze. “She was lying to me. I called her out in front of everyone. I feel bad in retrospect, but I know the truth now.”

 

“Who is your soulmate then?” Ladybug tucked a stray hair back into place.

 

“Ladybug... I think we are.” He looked away, hiding the growing blush under his mask. “I think I figured out why too. I must have seen you at a young age, but you never saw me, who I really was at least. My father has control of me and molds me to his ideal when I'm not Chat Noir. When I transformed, I could finally be who I really am.”

 

“That's not how chips work, silly chaton.” Ladybug laughed, melodious and endearing. “When people lock eyes, the chips trip the nerves to continue working as if the chips were never implanted. We had to see each other at the same time.”

 

He frowned. “There must be a way to test it. I’m sure.”

 

“There is one way to know,” Ladybug’s face was inching closer to his own.

 

“W-what’s that?” Chat knew how to test it. They learned about it in their sociology unit of class just last week. 

 

“All we have to do…” Ladybug leaned in closer. “Is kiss.”

 

Something pushed him closer, to close the mere centimeters between them. Chat Noir’s eyes widened and Ladybug’s hand was tangling itself in his wild blond locks.

 

They were kissing. 

 

Ladybug was kissing Chat Noir. Chat Noir could barely breathe, he was so ecstatic. There was an actual spark between them, the static shock as their lips connected.

 

A sure sign of a soulmate’s first kiss.

 

Adrien opened his eyes to look at Ladybug. He wanted to see her reaction. Instead of Ladybug, Adrien woke up in his own bed, staring at the plastic stars he glued to his veiling as a kid. He could still feel the lingering effects of the vivid kiss they shared.

 

Unwillingly, he pulled himself out of bed and got ready for the morning. Plagg teased him about his dream, saying he wants what he can't have. Adrien was thankful to get in the car to shut him up.

 

\---------

 

Marinette woke up from a weird dream, she was sitting on a roof with Chat Noir, something they never did and talking about personal stuff. While he was relatively open, Ladybug was tight lipped about her entire life.

 

“You were just dreaming, Marinette.” Tikki assures her as they descend her stairs. “I'm sure it meant nothing.”

 

"You're right, Tikki.” She smiled and walked out the door. “I just have an odd feeling about it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kind words and understanding. I'll try to get THE LAST CHAPTER done quickly.  
> @kissinggfish on tumblr and other social media if you want ♡


	9. Take a Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just have to go for it. regardless of the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know its been like a month, but i updated finally? more notes below, as always thanks for reading  
> also i lied last time about this being the final chapter. i cant have my first complete fic be a garbage uneven nine chapters what heathen am i

Wringing his hands together, Adrien tried to explain his situation to Nino.

 

“So we’ve never really talked about this kind of stuff, uh, especially so openly…” He trails off as a couple girls from another classroom pass their spot on a bench. “But, uh… You know about my current… situation?”

 

“Be a lot clearer dude. You've got about twelve situations going on.” Nino cleaned his glasses on his t-shirt and tried to motion him along. “You said that you needed to talk to me about Chloe and Marinette?”

 

“Chloe. Yes.” Adrien cleared his throat. “She’s not my soulmate and that leaves me with the pressing question of who is.” He pauses; Nino was there when he ousted Chloe as not his soulmate. Most of the school knows by now. “And, I did some soul-searching on the Internet, those websites you know?”

 

“What's your point dude?” Nino checked the time. “We have to be in class in like two minutes.”

 

“I asked Nathalie for pictures from that night and the only other people I recognized was Marinette and you. I thought you might be able to remember if anyone had started to see color after or….” Adrien stands up with Nino.

 

“Ask Mari, she's more of a detail person. I never really payed attention to that kind of stuff.” Nino offered an apologetic shrug and held the classroom door open for him. “She should be here now if you want to. I'll distract Alya.”

 

“No thanks, don't do that. I want to be more discreet.” Adrien sat down and got last night's homework out. “I'll ask her at lunch or something.”

 

“You? Discreet?” Nino laughed, waving to Alya and Marinette in their seats. The girls were nice, Alya was a little intense and best taken in small doses, but with Marinette she is a lot calmer.

 

“Hey boys, did you see what happened to Chat Noir last akuma attack?” Alya leaned forward between them.

 

“N-no!” Adrien squeaked, clearing his throat and turning away. “We were in class.”

 

“He went mental and stormed off when he saw Ladybug handled it without him. I feel bad; he always gets the bad rep because his power is destruction. Plus Ladybug is just all kinds of awesome and runs circles around Chat Noir.”

 

If he was wearing his ears, they would droop. It was a common thought about his alter ego. Chat Noir was such a flirt, a player. He is probably defective. No love to speak of in either life.

 

“I think he is just as awesome,” Marinette offered up. “Remember when Ladybug was almost caught by Stormy Weather? Chat Noir totally saved her!”

 

Adrien nodded in agreement. “I don't think he's all that bad.”

 

Alya rolled her eyes when Nino chimes in his favorable opinion. “Whatever, I still think Ladybug is better.”

 

Class begins with Madame Bustier passing out the retaken tests and collecting homework. Adrien passed with flying colors, of course. He turned and round to ask Marinette how she did. Her frown said all he needed to know and he tried to smile and cheer her up, but she didn't pay attention.

 

Marinette and Alya talk quietly almost all of first period and much to Adrien’s dismay, he couldn't catch a single word. How was he going to approach Marinette about her soulmate when Alya was always right there next to her? He needed answers.

 

“Alya, walk with me to lunch, I want to talk Ladybug theories with you.” Nino caught her arm headed down the steps. “I have an idea and I want to see if you think it holds.” Nino winked towards Adrien and linked arms with Alya, leading her away without protest.

 

“Uh, since our friends left us, should we walk together?”

 

Marinette froze in place. Again, Adrien Agreste was choosing to talk to her. “S-sure?” She followed him, keeping a respectable distance. “How were the, uh, cookies?”

 

“Delicious. I still have most of them.” He smiled. “I like the Chat Noir ones best I think.”

 

“That's good.”

 

“Speaking of,” Adrien promoted slowly. “Can I ask you something?” He pulled her into a corner. “It's important.”

 

Marinette’s face was probably redder than when she was transformed. “A-about what?” Her heart was probably going a mile a minute.

 

“When we were kids, I met my soulmate at the Christmas play your class held. Do you remember that?”

 

“Y-yeah, Chloe couldn't stop talking about it f-for months after.”

 

“And you met your soulmate a couple months ago, right?” Adrien pressed, trying to connect pieces.

 

“Uh-huh.” Marinette nodded. She didn't bother to correct him that it had been nearly seven months since the incident, but who was counting.

 

“And you don't know who your soulmate is?” Adrien asked again.

 

“Yeah, why?” She edged away a little. It hurt her to admit it, but she continued her thought. “So what, I'm broken.” Something about saying it out loud made her heart sink and her shoulders fold in. “We should, uh, get going…” She shifted her weight on her feet, ready to run away from Adrien.

 

“You don't know that.” He frowned. “What if your soulmate was waiting for you, trying to figure out who you are and you won't allow them to find you?”

 

“Adrien, I've been looking since it happened.” Her eyes started to water. “They aren't out there. I just don't have a soulmate, okay. It happens.”

 

He frowned again, not catching the right string of words. “But, there's a one in a million chance. Odds are, you have a soulmate and you haven't looked hard enough.”

 

Swallowing her retort, she offered a small smile. “...Thanks,” the two of them walked outside where Alya and Nino were already waiting, heatedly discussing Ladybug. “I think I understand what you're trying to say.”

 

“Ladybug is one of the most amazing superheroes ever and she isn't like Peter Parker!” Alya insisted. “No radioactive ladybug bit her and now she can swing around a yo-yo.”

 

“How did she get her powers then? Is she an alien like Superwoman or something?” Nino snapped his fingers together. “She's one of the newest X-men!”

 

Marinette decided against joining the conversation of how she got powers in the first place. She ate her lunch in peace, her friends too enthralled in their argument to remember her or Adrien showed up late to their party.

 

“Guess we shouldn't have let them go ahead.” Adrien laughed. “They are truly the worst influence on each other.”

 

Marinette joined his laughter. “Yeah, I think Alya has met her match when it comes to stubbornness.”

 

“And love of Ladybug.” Adrien chimes.

 

“How do you think they got their powers?” Marinette mused, looking sideways at her friends.

 

“Something probably gave them their powers, like in Madoka Magica; Madoka made a deal with the devil and got magical girl powers. Or like in Sailor Moon, they were granted powers with a magic brooch.”

 

She couldn't help but laugh. All her anxiety was put into making Adrien out to be the big bad wolf, out to get her and he was enemy number three (Chloe and Sabrina held first and second respectively). She tried to distance herself from her classmate based on his soulmate, which was poor judgement on her part. Adrien wasn't scary or out to destroy her and throw her big defective secret our in the open. He was- “Such a dork!” Marinette wiped fake tears from her eyes, she laughed so much. “Anime? Really?”

 

Though, he almost hit the nail on the head with his pop culture references.

 

“What? A guy can't like magical girls?” Adrien huffed.

 

“No, I just thought you'd be into a different genre. Like Naruto or maybe sport animes or something in between. I certainly didn’t think you liked magical girls.”

 

“Naruto isn't its own genre.”

 

“Yeah, but saying ninjas and lengthy stretches of battle and stuff is not a genre in itself either. You understand what I mean though.” Marinette clarified.

 

“I'm much more into slice of life and school based anime. Have you seen Clannad?” Adrien clutched his chest, acting wounded. “It hurt my very core.”

 

They spent the rest of lunch talking about anime. As much as she put Adrien on this pedestal under a glass box and surrounded by red velvet rope, he was surprisingly… human? Flawed? Normal? Dorky? Just like her?

 

Chloe aside, they had a good chance of being friends, Marinette decided as they walked back to class. Sure, he was still scary intimidating because WOW Adrien freaking Agreste. If only Chloe wasn't around to bully and mock her relentlessly.

 

\------

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _hey want to study for the next chem test? I know youll tank w/o my help_

**_Marinette:_ ** _please_

**_Marinette:_ ** _swing by Sunday afternoon and ill make a fresh batch of cookies_

**_Adrien:_ ** _sounds like a plan_

 

“Hey, Tikki.” Marinette poked her kwami from her afternoon nap. “Remember when you said Chat and I are soulmates?”

 

Tikki nodded sleepily, humming in affirmation. “Why?”

 

“Just thinking…” Marinette paused, turning away from her. “I don't think I'm defective.”

 

“What's with the change of heart?” Tikki tread carefully, she didn’t want to discourage her Chosen. She was in such a slump these past few months over Chat believing he had a different soulmate.

 

“Adrien. He is so nice, with the worst soulmate. If Chloe can be picked for someone who is the literal incarnation of sunshine, then I'm not defective. The world is a lot fairer than that, right?”

 

“Yeah, I'm sure you'll find him soon.”

 

A scream broke out below.  Marinette rolled her eyes. “Let's go Tikki. I have homework to catch up on. Transform me.”

 

Screams came from the Louvre, no surprises there. She quickly navigated the city’s skyline and landed atop an adjacent building. Ladybug’s response time was quick, from the looks of it; the akuma was just getting started.

 

It reared its ugly head to show off eight glistening black eyes and huge pincers. The akuma hissed at her and launched its first attack. Spider silk wound itself around a nearby car.

 

Frowning, Ladybug whirled her yo-yo across the street again, barely missing the akuma’s initial attack. “Chat?” Ladybug called to no avail. Her partner is late to the party and now civilians were in danger.

 

The akuma had taken Ladybug’s pause to call Chat as an opportunity to start stringing up cars inside a massive spider web. It had five cars in its clutches and was working on yanking a sixth when Ladybug threw her yo-yo to interrupt the stream of silk.

 

Ladybug jumped back and forth between the trapped cars to assure them it'll be okay and she would take care of it soon. Most civilians were willing to evacuate their vehicles, clinging to Ladybug for dear life as she swung her yo-yo to a faraway building. Ladybug dropped them off and told them to run in the opposite direction. No one argued.

 

The akuma was sulking, throwing sticky silk at her every second she let her guard down just once. Its goal was unclear, but Ladybug worried too much about Chat to ask. Most likely, the usual destruction mixed with revenge, and obviously nabbing the Miraculous from her and Chat Noir.

 

The newest car grabbed by the akuma was stuck highest up. Ladybug dodged another attack and squeezed into the car.

 

“Agreste!” She needlessly shrieked as she entered her classmate’s car uninvited. Adrien stared star struck at Ladybug and she did the same. “Adrien, right? You model?” Nice save, she chided.

 

“Y-yeah.” Adrien’s eyes were horrified. The akuma's nasty legs tapped against the window.

 

“Come out Bug!” Ladybug decided to name this villain Black Widow. “I eat bugs like you for breakfast!” It clawed at the shaded windows, desperate to get at her.

 

Ladybug pursed her lips. “I'll have to take you out of here one at a time.” She held out her hand to Adrien.

 

“No, help him first.” Adrien pointed at his driver, who was easily the size of a gorilla. He might not need saving from the akuma. Nonetheless, Ladybug swapped civilians and helped his bodyguard out the passenger door and the next few rooftops away.

 

“Thank you, Ladybug.” The body guard nodded and smiled at the heroine. “Adrien is a kind boy; he cares a great deal about us.”

 

She brushed off the strange way he said ‘us’ and leapt back into action. Adrien was still in the car, arguing with himself?

 

“Stop being like this, she'll be back any second!” Adrien sounded annoyed. “Just once can you listen? There is an--!”

 

“Ladybug!” He turned sharply and laughed. “Back so soon?” His smile was pained, a panic in his eyes.

 

“Yeah?” She crawled in the car to avoid another akuma attack. “In case you haven't noticed, there is a spider lady attacking Paris and you are in her web.”

 

“I see. Go ahead and take care of her, I'll get myself out safely.”

 

“Not gonna happen, Adrien.” She rolled her eyes. “You need to get out of here, I don't know her goal or where her akuma is.”

 

“It's her hairclip,” he pointed. “It's the only thing not symmetrical with the rest of her.”

 

Ladybug looked back at the akuma, who was now cackling that she was too afraid to face her.

 

“How…?” She started and shook her head. “You know what, never mind. I'll get you out before I deal with her.”

 

“Don't bother, I'll be fine. Your lucky charm will keep me safe.”

 

His persistent attitude was getting irritating. Adrien kind of reminded her of a certain missing cat. Ladybug grabbed his wrist sharply and yanked him out of the car. “I don’t have time for this. You are in danger and it is my job to protect you.” She wrapped an arm around his waist and jumped just in time to avoid a glob of silk.

 

Adrien instinctively reached to his lower back to grab his baton to catch himself but it wasn’t there. He held on for dear life, the stomach flopping sensation of flying without the protection of his suit was horrifying. “L-ladybug, look out!” he tried his best to veer their path sideways to avoid a direct attack.

 

The silk hit both of them, wrapping quickly around the two and trapping them midair. Adrien could feel his right hand clinging to his side, fingers just barely sticking out. Ladybug was pressed entirely against him, arms stuck uselessly to her side.

 

Black Widow, as Adrien decided to call her, was cackling maniacally. “I win! I caught the bug, and a second snack to!” She skittered along the side of an apartment complex.

 

“Shit!” Ladybug struggled against the silk. “Adrien, can you move at all?”

 

He wiggled his fingers and shook his head sadly. From his shoulders down, he was trapped. He could call Plagg; he was tucked safely in his undershirt. And Plagg was a literal god, he could phase out of the silk if he wanted. Should he risk it? If he transformed, he could cataclysm the silk and Ladybug would just have to drop down and snag the hairclip off the akuma.

 

Ladybug wriggled again, trying to shift herself in a position to free either of them. “You shouldn’t have argued with me in the first place, Adrien. This wouldn’t have happened if you just listened to me in the first place.”

 

Adrien bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. “I know you’re right. I’m sorry I put you in danger.”

 

“Me?” Ladybug asked incredulously. “I literally swing from building to building and fighting villains like Spiderman. Danger is in the job description. I’m more concerned about your safety! And where the hell is Chat Noir when you need him!” She whipped her head around, hoping to see the familiar blur of black and silver. She wouldn’t hate a pun or two either.

 

“Tran-...” He couldn’t do it. Ladybug doesn’t want to reveal identities. He has to respect her wishes. Also, how would she feel after knowing Adrien Agreste, a defective loser, was Chat Noir, who had supposedly met his soulmate when he was a kid. In light of recent events, Chat Noir being a defective loser and a huge flirt was more of a truth than he would like it to be.

 

Plagg could be felt squirming against his shirt. If he was able to talk, he would scold Adrien for not transforming sooner, which was Plagg’s fault for arguing while Ladybug helped his driver to safety.

 

“What was that?” Ladybug looked back at Adrien.

 

He sighed. There was only one solution. “I’m sorry, Ladybug. Transform me!” Adrien felt Plagg leave his shirt and get sucked into the ring. Surprisingly, he didn’t need so much space to transform. His own dramatics and love of anime just made posing feel much better.

 

Ladybug’s eyes widened.

 

“I don't know what the protocol for revealing your secret identity is, so…” He scratched the back of his neck and waved. “Cataclysm!” His right hand ripped through the silk as his left secured around Ladybug. As soon as the destructive power faded, Chat grabbed his baton and elevated them quickly. He landed them safely on a roof near. Ladybug hadn’t moved by herself since he transformed. Chat Noir left her on the roof to pursue the akuma, who got distracted by a couple kids throwing rocks. Thankfully, it didn’t look like anyone else had caught his transformation.

 

Her hairclip was the akuma, and she changed back as soon as Chat snapped it in half. With a startling nudge to the side, Ladybug snapped the akuma into her compact and sent purifying ladybugs to work. The second everything went back to normal, she turned back to her partner.

 

“So, uh. I’m pretty sure I’m your soulmate. Mine was lying to me. And uh, I don’t know why I was able to see color so much sooner than you, but we really don’t have a lot of time so I’m going to give you my number and I need you to text me okay.” He blurted all this information at her as he scrawled his cell number on a handy piece of paper. “Please text me. I have to go back to my house before my guards come after me.” He left Ladybug staring at a phone number.

 

She screamed internally all the way back to her room. As soon as her transformation dropped, she stared at Tikki and actually screamed.

 

“What the heck! Tikki! How could you fail to mention my arch nemesis is my best friend’s soul mate?!” She flailed her arms around uselessly and yanked on her pigtails. “Why do bad things happen to me?”

 

“Marinette, this is a good thing! You can be friends and you’ll be closer to Chat Noir and Adrien. And he might be able to help you patch things up with Chloe.” Her kwami was the opposite of soothing and helpful. “You should text him.” She brought her the phone on her bed.

 

“I mean, I guess.” Marinette took the device with shaking hands. “I’d feel bad if  I didn’t.” She hit ‘new chat’ and stared at the screen for a minute.

 

“What do I say?” She bit her lip. “Hey, I’m ladybug what’s up?”

 

Tikki offered absolutely no help. “If you want, then yes. It should be whatever makes you feel most comfortable.”

 

She gulped and slowly started typing.

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _hey, this is lb im sorry about today. i never wanted it to come to this and it sucks you were forced into it. thank you for saving us this afternoon. if you wanted to talk about it or anything ? im here, but i totally understand if you never want to see me again, i know you have a soulmate and it’s a huge rumor that we are dating and stuff and i don’t want to tarnish your reputation as an Agreste much less accidentally out you as chat noir but i think our kwamis are right. we can be soul mates, but not in the romantic sense, right? –lb_

 

She hit send and locked her phone. It was tossed onto her comforter and she flopped next to it with a sigh. “I don’t know why that was so hard. It’s not like he knows who Ladybug is…”  Her voice trailed off as she stared in horror at her phone.

 

Grabbing her phone with shaking fingers, she unlocked the device to stare at the tiny “sent” icon change to “read”. She sent a text explicitly outing her as Paris’ super hero to Adrien Agreste, who recently outed himself as Paris’ other super hero. And he just read it. Odds are, Adrien still has her number in his phone, she panicked, quickly realizing there was no backing out of this.

 

For the second time since she got home, she screamed.

 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not really happy with this chapter but a lot has happened and im just kinda blehhhhhhhh  
> if there are any glaring errors, please tell me  
> ~  
> feedback is always loved and welcomed. talk to me, im lonely af  
> im @kissinggfish on all social media pretty much  
> kudos and comments are such a huge boost to my ego tbh


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a long journey finds an end with the most romantic texts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A new chapter like, a week after an update? What's this? A finished work by kissinggfish? Unheard of

 

Adrien crashed into his bed and sighed. “She's not going to text me, is she.” He grabbed his phone and checked it for the umpteenth time.

 

“Well, you did just throw a lot of information towards the poor girl.” Plagg sat haughtily on a small cushion with cheese in his paws. “I wouldn't be surprised if she never meets with you again.”

 

“Wh-what?!” Adrien shot up, horrified. “Why?”

 

“There is this thing called tact,” Plagg nibbled his camembert. “And being discreet. Choice in timing as well.”

 

Another heavy sigh escaped his lips. Once more, he unlocked his phone to a very empty new message box. She wasn't going to text him. Adrien was too forward and threw way too much information at her. He basically confessed his love and then transformed into the one person who irritates her the most.

 

Turning his attention to a handheld game, Adrien tried to overflow his anxiety with virtual stimuli. Pokemon was naturally mindless, yet involve a lot of thought and it was a great distraction. He almost didn't notice when his phone chimed.

 

Except for the fact that his ears were hyper tuned to the slightest change in quiet gentle music coming from his Nintendo device.

 

Adrien unlocked his phone, expecting an unknown number to have sent a text. He was disappointed when Marinette’s name lit up in the corner.

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ hey, this is lb i'm sorry about today. i never wanted it to come to this and it sucks you were forced into it. thank you for saving us this afternoon. if you wanted to talk about it or anything ? i'm here, but i totally understand if you never want to see me again, i know you have a soulmate and it’s a huge rumor that we are dating and stuff and i don’t want to tarnish your reputation as an Agreste much less accidentally out you as chat noir but i think our kwamis are right. we can be soul mates, but not in the romantic sense, right? –lb _

 

Adrien may have momentarily blacked out. He read the text again and checked the name. Again. Marinette couldn't possibly be Ladybug. Ladybug had brilliant blue eyes and dark, impossibly blue hair. She was quick as a whip and would stand up for anyone. She was strong and independent and loved by everyone. Her soulmate is unknown and she has seen color for… nine months or so?

 

Who was he describing again? With shaky fingers, Adrien typed a careful reply.

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ uh, chloe isn't my soulmate, she was lying to me _

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ what!? _

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ i found out a while ago, I guess you weren't in the classroom, which makes sense because lb escorted chloe to school that morning _

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ that akuma was easy to defeat, _

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ wish I could have been there, then I wouldn't have to have suffered through the awkward aftermath of me yelling at Chloe haha _

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ you actually yelled at her? _

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ yep and then stormed off to transform and have a hissy fit =^×^= _

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ I still don't think your puns are funny _

 

Her quick, humorous replies comforted him. Of course she loved his puns. Adrien found a smile creeping onto his face as another text came in.

 

**_Marinette:_ ** _ you know they bug me _

 

She sent him a gif of Ladybug rolling her eyes, a small smile on her lip. It was most likely taken off the Internet. Tumblr is a magical source of everything.

 

He sent back one of Chat, waggling his eyebrows.

 

**_Adrien:_ ** _ I'm irre-purr-sable _

 

They pair spent the rest of the night, and well into the morning, texting each other stupid jokes and recounting battles together. Part of her was so relieved to have a bond like this before knowing they were soulmates. It made talking less awkward, somehow. They didn't even approach the subject after Adrien explained his theory on why she was so delayed in seeing color.

 

As a young boy, Adrien was at the mercy and molding of his father. He was whoever his father needed him to be. A model model, citizen and son. Be quiet, don't bother him, make friends with rich and influential families, smile, and most importantly, don't question his authority. 

 

Young and insouciant, Marinette was always free to be herself. It was a rare happening of a masked person meeting their soulmate. They both found it ironic that Adrien could truly be himself when he donned a mask and called himself Chat Noir.

 

Whatever the reasoning behind their chips taking nine years to catch up to each other, Marinette was glad it finally did.

 

Marinette couldn't help smiling at her phone. She was having such a nice, normal conversation with a boy she found attractive, smart and he was her soulmate! She has a soulmate! 

 

After searching for so long, Marinette found love in the one place she never expected. In her best friend.

 

The next morning, Adrien picked Marinette up from home and they walked to school, hand in hand. People stared, they whispered. By lunch, the whole school knew Adrien and Marinette were soulmates. Chloe was furious. Her face was red and she couldn't form proper words. 

 

Tikki and Plagg got along better than they did-- which made sense since miraculous holders were always meant to be together. They, unknown to parents downstairs, spent almost every night together. Chat Noir would slink through the night as soon as he received the all clear text from his Lady and vice versa.

 

“I'm glad I met you.” She leaned herself into his chest and breathed in the fresh air that clung to his clothes. “I'm so glad I met you. It was worth the wait.”

 

Adrien wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Marinette.”

  
“I love you too, Adrien.” She pulled herself up inches to brush their lips together in an electrifying first kiss. The static shock tingled her fingertips and she couldn't help blushing and burrowing help face deeper into her soulmate’s (!!!) chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for listening to me ramble for 10 chapters!!!! This is the first 100% completed multi-chapter fic I've ever done. I'm rly proud of myself and I already have some good old hurt-comfort in the works  
> Follow/talk to me on social media, I'm @kissinggfish everywhere,
> 
> Edit: sneak peak at my newest fic!  
> ~~~~  
> Since as long as Paris can remember, there have been strange beings that roamed the streets at night. They do no harm, in fact, just the opposite. The beings were guardian angels who took care of Paris and all its people. There were six of them: a fox, peacock, turtle, moth, ladybug and a cat. They caught theives, helped lost tourists, guided young children to sleep.  
> ~~~~~
> 
> Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see me write in the future! ♡♡♡♡


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